Don't Let Him Go
by Knotted
Summary: High school football rivalries often turn into high school life rivalries. And occasionally, a rivalry will turn into something more. Caejose rivalry and slow burn fic. High school AU.
1. Chapter 1

**Small Town**

 _Well I was born in a small town_

 _and I can breathe in a small town_

 _Gonna die in this small town_

 _and that's prob'ly where they'll bury me._

The two best feelings in the world are these: the feeling of bright stadium lights shining down on chilled skin, and the feeling a heart gets when one hears their name from a crowd. "Joestar" was just one of those names that wasn't just satisfying to chant, but much more satisfying to hear, and to Joseph, it wasn't anything new. But every time he ran out onto a football field, the sound still managed to be refreshing and revitalizing- really managed to get his engine going, if you will. The air was cool and crisp this time of year, and the lights warmed his skin while the chants warmed his heart. It was a great feeling, one everyone should experience, preferably more than once. Upon reaching the center of the field, close to the crowd, he turned to face them and raised his hands, encouraging them to get louder. It was fuel for his ego, a monster that didn't need fuel in the slightest, but it felt so damn good.

 _"Go get 'em JoJo!"_

Oh, he was going to. The voice came from a tiny blonde situated as close as possible to the field while still sitting in the bleachers, though _sitting_ wasn't exactly how Joseph would describe her current position. She was about halfway to falling over the family seated in front of her, bouncing and yelling and wearing what she wore to every game- a green and yellow Stormriders shirt with his last name on the back.  
" _Thanks Suzie_ ," he mouthed, winking at her with an exaggerated point in her direction, arm fully extended. Slay 'em.

Slaying them, unfortunately, was not a thing that happened on his part.

Once out on the field, within the first half, he'd fumbled twice, tripped once, _and_ nearly eaten a mouthful of turf. He had something else on his mind, and she was currently in the stands cheering him on, regardless of his off night. Luckily, his team could pull their own weight, and they finished out the game with another win. The Morrison Stormriders were well on their way to a perfect season… no thanks to Joseph. At least not this time.

After the game, he could hardly face the rest of the team. He made a quick exit as soon as he was able to change and get away from everyone, keeping out of sight as much as possible until he managed to find Suzie and his grandmother in the stands again, where they stood scanning the crowd for him. Smirking to himself, he climbed onto the bleachers a good distance from them, making his way up and around and coming to a quiet stop behind Suzie, holding his hands over her eyes.

"If you ever wanna see JoJo again, you gotta guess exactly what he's thinking about _right now_." His voice was deep and menacing, and all Suzie did was giggle. "This is no time for laughing, he's counting on you."

"Oh, he's counting on me? Okay then, I guess I'll play along," she says, grinning. "It sounds like the situation is pretty scary, so he's probably thinking about how afraid he is and when Miss Suzie Q is gonna come to his rescue." Granny Erina smiled at them with her eyes, watching the two of them play around, and Joseph made an obnoxious noise like a buzzer slamming down harshly on an incorrect answer.

"'Fraid not, but since you're obviously incapable of guessing, I'll tell you, " he says, bored. His voice immediately switched back to normal as he went on lightly, removing his hands. "He's actually thinking about milkshakes, and how badly he wants you to go get one with him. Like, a really big strawberry milkshake, specifically. With whipped cream. Sprinkles if you're feelin' _fancy_." He shook his hips a little.

Suzie turned to face him, beaming, and snatched the car keys hanging from his pocket, holding them up and dangling them in front of his face. "When could I ever turn down strawberry milkshakes?"

"Just make sure you drop me off at the house first," Granny Erina says, grabbing one of Joseph's hands. "You did a good job tonight, JoJo. But I'm old, and I'm tired."

Joseph felt his face get hot, and he pulled her in for a hug. He didn't have the heart to argue with her and tell her his game had been absolutely terrible. All she ever did was encourage him, and it would be rude to deny her that.

"Thanks, granny. We'll drop you off right now. C'mon, let's all head out."

* * *

The drive back home was peaceful and quiet. It was a bit tight with three of them, so Suzie had to squeeze into the tiny back seat, but she never complained. Long stretches of road with nothing on either side were commonplace when driving between towns around here, and it was dark everywhere the headlights couldn't reach. These were Joseph's favorite kinds of drives, and he would often use them to clear his head. Living in the middle of nowhere was something he'd come to appreciate rather than despise.

After they made it home and he'd dropped Granny Erina off and made sure she got settled back inside alright, he and Suzie hopped back into his car and she immediately turned the radio up. The radio in his car never left the classic rock station; it was just a fact, and one that anyone who rode along with him had to come to terms with quickly. Suzie was always a fan of his music taste, luckily, so they never fought about it when they were together.

"It's your favorite," she said, nudging him with her elbow as a new song started. REO Speedwagon. Nice.

"They were my dad's favorite, too," he told her, smiling. Dad had great taste when he was around.

"I know. You really only listen to music he liked."

As they drove past the only gas station and stopped at the only stoplight in town, Joseph found himself singing along, with Suzie joining in- a little off key, but it wasn't like he was ever gonna mention it.

 _"We climb and climb and at the top we fly, let the world go on below us, we are lost in time… and I don't know really what it means, all I know is that you love me in my dreams…"_

They sang the whole song through, both of them a little exaggerated, as they made their way to the diner at the other end of town and pulled into the parking lot. Suzie was shivering when they stepped out of the car, so Joseph passed her his scarf to wrap herself up in. It was striped with the school colors, yellow-orange and light green, and… by the looks of it, they weren't the only ones wearing those colors once they got inside. The diner was of unremarkable size and full of people, and several of them turned to look in their direction as they entered and the little bell on the door chimed to signal their arrival. Normally, he would be happy to see everyone looking at him, but… news travels fast in a tiny town, and they all looked a little embarrassed for him. He was embarrassed for himself.

 _I played like shit,_ he thought as he found a table for two in the corner, plopping himself down in it and slumping forward. Suzie pulled her chair out herself, and sat down across from him. He tapped his foot on the old and chipped tile under the table, trying not to be a bummer. The team still won. They were still celebrating, but his pride was going to need a bit of tender care this evening. Suzie fidgeted with the little tear on the red plastic seat cushion she sat on, and then kicked her legs and spoke up, cheerful.

"You really did do great, JoJo," she said, leaning forward and propping her head in her hands. "Everyone has a few off games-"

Heading her off at the pass, Joseph said, "I think that was the worst I've played since freshman year. I can't believe I let all those catches slip right through my fingers. I can't believe I _tripped_."

"Oh, please. It happens to everyone."

Joseph groaned, kicking his feet right back. Oh boy.

"It doesn't happen to me," he protested. Suzie rolled her eyes. "Whatever. I just… It doesn't matter. Thanks Suzie. I mean it. I'm glad you came again, and it means a lot that you aren't side-eyeing me from across the room right about now like those other guys. I guess I just had other things on my mind tonight. Distracted. Y'know."

"Do you wanna talk about it?"

Joseph laughed uncomfortably and shifted in his seat, feeling his face get hot. He was about to stammer out some sort of an answer when their waiter showed up, carrying a little notepad with a pen held ready to jot down their order. He was one of the only two waiters in the place, and as far as Joseph knew, both of them cooked, too. The place had loyal customers, but it couldn't really afford to hire more staff. Or improve. Nonetheless, Kenny and Jim did a hell of a job keeping up with it, even if it did look like it was a decade and a half behind the rest of the world. To be fair, though, the whole town felt that way.

"Hey, JoJo, Suzie Q." Kenny nodded at both of them in turn, and scribbled on the pad to warm up the pen. "You two know what you want tonight? The usual?"  
"I think we decided earlier that we were craving the strawberry milkshakes," Joseph says, looking over at Suzie, as if to ask her if that was still the plan. She nodded, resituating the scarf around her shoulders.

"I want those little chocolate sprinkles on mine, if you still have them," she added sweetly. She started to work her hair into a braid absentmindedly, and Kenny laid the notepad on the table between them and doodled a little milkshake on it, with "x2" written next to it. He tilted his head thoughtfully, and then doodled some more, and this time it was a little basket of fries.

"The fries are on the house, JoJo. ' _Always somethin' special on the house for the Joestar boy,'_ Jim always says. We gotcha."

He winked and turned away, and just to keep himself distracted, Joseph directed his attention to a girl picking out a song on the old jukebox. That thing had been there for as long as he could remember, and as far as he knew, the music selection hadn't even been updated. _Good,_ he thought. It didn't need to be. The old stuff on it was perfect. The girl who'd been flipping through the selection huffed and walked away after a while without picking anything, and Joseph felt personally offended. He was usually the one to go over and pick a song, but tonight he didn't really feel like it.

He managed to steer their conversation away from the game both before and after they'd gotten their milkshakes and fries, and they spent the majority of their time laughing about silly things and talking about their week at school and how happy both of them were that it was Friday. Jim came out from the kitchen and spent a good several minutes talking with them as well ('how's Erina? She hasn't come in in a while… oh yeah? Good. You done any more work on that Mustang you got?') It didn't take them long to finish what they'd come there for, and pretty soon, Joseph was out of excuses and subject changes. As they stood up to leave, he was once again painfully aware of the eyes lingering on him, and it was hard to not just bolt. One of the regulars gave him a pat on the back as they walked out, and looked him in the eyes like he had something of the utmost importance to say.

"Don't worry about it, Joestar. Rough nights happen. But next week we won't be so easy on ya. Give those Foxes hell or we might boo ya outta the place."

Joseph laughed, but it was quite a bit louder and more forced than he intended. Next Friday was the homecoming game, and if they lost, they'd not only be losing the biggest game of the season, against their long-time rivals, they'd also be losing their perfect season. This man was not kidding in the slightest.

"Don't worry, I'll make sure to kick 'em back into last year." Joseph stopped by the doorway, striking his town-famous touchdown pose, planting his stance wide with one hand up in front of his face and the other at his side. A majority of the diner customers' spirits seemed to lift, and they chimed in their support or clapped for him as he left with Suzie at his side.

He was glad he was able to get them to smile a bit more- his hometown was so tiny, everyone went into a bit of a sinking mood after football games ended. It was all they had to look forward to. Almost every house displayed the school colors in the yard, regardless of whether or not a student who attended lived there. School spirit was the most important thing to nearly everyone who lived there, and it was considered strange if someone didn't care or participate. Places like the diner and the corner store would actually close during Friday night football home games- everyone was at the school. Tonight, it looked like everyone had been watching from home.

"You really know how to work a crowd," Suzie said as they walked back toward his car. He couldn't tell whether she was being sarcastic or not. "It's cute."

Cute was often a cringeworthy word, and Joseph was unsure how to feel about it in this context. He ran a hand over the hood of his car, and it felt cold and a little rough to the touch; it didn't have a finished paint job yet and was still rocking the primer he'd put on it… how long ago? Beauty took time, but restoring Aja was cleaning out his pockets good. Every little bit of money he earned went towards getting her exactly how he wanted her. It was a long process.

"It comes with the Joestar territory," he told her, offering a small smile.

"So… don't think I've forgotten, mister. Something's bothering you. It was bothering you for the entire game. You never answered me… do you want to talk about it?"

"Actually… yeah. Wanna sit in the car? It's breezy out here."

There it was. He was actually going to do it. He was going to talk to Suzie. There was no turning back. He sat down in the car and let out a huge sigh, and proceeded to rest his head on the center of the steering wheel, causing Aja to let out a comical beep at his distress.

"What's up, JoJo?" Suzie reached over and poked his leg, but he still didn't look at her. This stuff was difficult.

"So uh, I guess I should just… do it." Joseph laughed at himself, and turned his head so he was looking out the window, away from Suzie completely. "I was really nervous during tonight's game, I think, because I was spending the entire time thinking about this. I'm suffering."

"You're not suffering."

"You don't know what I'm feeling!"

"Oh, hush."

"Whatever." He sat up straight, turned to Suzie, and shrugged. "I know it's like, super late. But I wanted to know if you'd… be my Homecoming date."

The silence between them was painful. The air felt about ten times colder, and for a second, Joseph thought he may have forgotten how to breathe. Or maybe he was unable to, with the way the air around them had frozen both in temperature and time. He was sure he'd look back on this one day and laugh; surely the Homecoming dance couldn't possibly be that important. But it sure as hell felt like it was.

And just when he was about to combust, Suzie laughed. She _laughed._ And then she didn't stop laughing. And Joseph Joestar was mortified. She was going to say no. His life was going to be over. No one could know he was turned down flat by Suzie Q.

"Ahahaha- _JoJo_! _This_ is what you were worried about?"

"I…? Wh.. yes? ...Should I not be? You're laughing. Stop laughing. Stop it!"

She had tears in her eyes, and it was embarrassing, and he was confused, looking at her with squinty eyes and a heart on the verge of either breaking or bursting, and he wasn't sure which one it was.

"JoJo, of course I'll go to Homecoming with you!"

 _Yes!_

"You're my best friend!"

 _No!_

Well, shit. The 'friend' word was exactly the word he didn't want to hear, and it sent a shock through his head that made him wince. Hopefully she hadn't noticed. He smiled at her and nodded aggressively, laughing with her in a forced sort of way and probably holding his eyes open a bit too wide. God dammit.

"Great! Perfect. I can't wait. I'm so glad I asked. Right. Do you have a dress picked out yet? I have to match the color or something, right? Yeah…" The worst.

She went on to tell him all about her light blue dress, and she was so excited that he was quite literally unable to stop her. It would've been cute under different circumstances, but he was practically wheezing at the pain of embarrassment in his chest. She never noticed, and he eventually dropped her off at her house, where she gave him his scarf back and graced him with… a hug.

A hug wasn't how he'd imagined the night ending when he'd thought about it for the last two weeks, but what can a guy do? He didn't even have flowers, or a nicely planned out date, or… anything. He never had money for anything. He barely had money for gas. At least he had a Homecoming friend. He could've asked any other girl in school to go with him, and he was confident they would've all said yes and been one hundred percent ready to be more than friends. But he didn't want to be more than friends with anyone _except_ Suzie Q. And Suzie Q. didn't want to be anything more than friends with _him_.

Well, that wasn't completely true. To be fair, he hadn't asked her specifically to go as more than friends. He'd never asked her on an actual date before at all, actually. He'd just taken her places and she'd always assumed they did things together as friends. Maybe he wasn't completely out of luck- he'd just need to step it up and actually tell her what he meant when he'd asked her to be his Homecoming _date_.

The drive home was full of near constant thoughts about how the night had gone, and the rest of the night was spent at his house, rearranging the comic books on his bookshelves, alone, and listening to nothing but painful power ballads, alone.

You know. The usual.

( **A/N:** The title of this fic is the song Don't Let Him Go by REO Speedwagon. The chapter title is the song Small Town by John Mellencamp, and mentioned in the chapter is the song In My Dreams, also by REO Speedwagon. There will be a lot of classic rock referenced in this fic- it's my favorite genre, and the manga/show itself references it, so I highly recommend giving the songs a listen if you don't know them! Especially if I use them to set a scene.)


	2. Chapter 2

**You've Got Another Thing Comin'**

 _Oh so hot, no time to take a rest_

 _Act tough, ain't room for second best_

 _Real strong, got me some security_

 _Hey, I'm a big smash, I'm goin' for infinity!_

"Hey, JoJo. Look at this."

Joseph turned his head to look at whatever Smokey was holding, almost begrudgingly so. On the one hand, he hated coming to the mall, because it was a money trap and he never had any money to spare, but on the other hand, it was one of the only big places he could go. It was about forty-five minutes away from their tiny town, and it was the only mall anywhere even remotely close, so people from all over the area would flock to it. He'd always see people he knew, even if they didn't live in his town or go to his school.

Smokey held a wallet out in front of him, looking over his shoulder and then back at Joseph, speaking in a whisper.

"It's really nice. I don't even have a real wallet, JoJo. I made one out of duct tape like three years ago and now it's coming apart and sometimes my money sticks to it. You know, when I have any money to put in it."

Smokey was no longer looking at him, but back down at the brown leather wallet he was holding, almost mesmerized by such a simple thing. Joseph had seen that look before; it was a look of desire and ill-intent, and he took the wallet from him, placing it back where it was supposed to be displayed. Smokey had latched onto Joseph when he was still a middle schooler and Joseph was a Sophomore, and he'd been in trouble more than once for having sticky fingers. "Hey-! Come on, JoJo. Look. I already looked at it, there's no sensors or anything. It would be so easy to nab it. Just take out the placeholders inside of it, slip it into my pocket, and bam. No one notices, and even if they do, they just assume it's _my_ wallet. Which it will be."

Joseph gave him a look, and Smokey rolled his eyes, sighing.

"We don't have time to get caught. We're here to see Suzie, remember? You've gotten caught lifting before, Smokey. It's stupid. Not to mention, rude and wrong. These people lose money when you do it, and then their inventory is off, and your _mom_ will be disappointed with you." He added that last part as if it was the dealbreaker, the worst part of the whole thing.

"Fine, fine. I didn't want a lesson on the way retail works. I'll leave it, okay?"

He wasn't happy about it, but that was okay. Joseph felt like it was his responsibility to make sure Smokey Brown grew up with proper morals. Smokey would argue that he wasn't one to talk about morals, and he was probably right, but at least Joseph tried. He just had a bit of a temper on him sometimes. He was about to usher Smokey out of the shop before he could get the itch again, but just as they turned, someone pushed past them, bumping shoulders with Joseph and not bothering to apologize.

"Hey, watch it!" Joseph was about to get heated. Who was this asshole who felt like he could just- oh.

The guy turned his head back toward him, shooting him a glare through narrowed eyes, and then looked forward again, focused on the spot where they'd been standing just moments before. He walked with grace, footsteps barely audible at all, and it only took a second for Joseph to realize who he was. This prick bumped into him on purpose. He wasn't actually clumsy, and he was a perpetual thorn in Joseph's side since he'd moved into the next town over a year ago. With a smooth movement of his arm and wrist, he grabbed the wallet Smokey had been admiring and slipped it into the inside of his light blue jacket, and then flashed both hands at them, now both empty. It was like he was showing off some sort of magic trick and being cocky about it. He smirked at them both and then walked past them again and back out the door, and Joseph was livid.

"Caesar!" he whispered harshly, following him out into the main section of the mall, dodging shoppers and finding him again down a separate hallway, halfway to an exit. He was sitting on a bench and examining a lighter, making small talk with a friend who'd apparently been waiting for him. " _Caesar!_ "

Smokey caught up with him shortly, standing behind him and to the side, and Caesar looked up and acknowledged them both with a wave. He pulled the wallet out of his coat pocket and tossed it their way like it didn't even matter, and Smokey was the one to catch it.

"You were looking at that, yeah?" he asked, running a hand through his light hair and putting away the lighter. "It's yours now, kid. And you didn't even have to be the one to take it."

"You can't just… you can't just do that," Joseph replied, jabbing a finger in his direction. He turned and tried to take the wallet from Smokey, but he was holding onto it tightly, and he felt a little betrayed. He'd agreed not to do it, and then Caesar Zeppeli had to come along and make him think theft was some sort of cool game. "Is this funny to you?"

"Not particularly," Caesar said, standing up and walking over to them. "It's just really easy."

The sight of him made Joseph's lungs burn, and he wanted to yell at him, but causing a scene would only get all three of them in trouble. Everything about him was angering. His stupid sense of style, his perfectly done hair, and that _goddamn_ stupid bandana in Foxes colors he wore everywhere. All of it. What kind of school used purple and orange as their colors, anyway? It was ugly.

On top of it all, the Zeppeli family was known for their wealth, and yet, Caesar apparently still felt the need to take things without paying for them. He could easily pay for them, but he _didn't_. It was a real punch to the gut. Joseph would've saved up his money to buy that wallet for Smokey for his birthday, or Christmas, or even just as a surprise, because he knew he liked it and he wanted to make his friend happy. Caesar just took it for fun, and tossed it at him like it was a gift bestowed upon a mortal by a god. Incredible. Joseph wanted to knock him out cold.

"Speaking of easy, I hope you're ready to get your ass kicked tomorrow night on the field. I've been looking forward to seeing you again for weeks now, Joestar. Thanks for showing up early. Anyway, I have someone I need to go see. Bye!" He put a hand on Joseph's shoulder and smiled at him before rounding the corner out of sight. His friend followed him loyally, and Joseph and Smokey were left behind, Joseph stewing in his own rage. He inhaled slowly before he finally spoke, already knowing the answer to his question. "You're not really gonna keep that, are you?"

"I really am."

"Screw you."

* * *

Joseph and Smokey spent a good while bumming around the mall, waiting for Suzie to be done with her volunteer work. She'd agreed to work one of the Homecoming raffle tables that afternoon after school, and now that things had slowed down, Joseph figured it would be a good time to go over and talk with her. Nothing important, just hanging out and shooting the breeze, spending time together. It would be good to do things like that more often if he was planning on eventually asking her to be his girlfriend, right? Is that how that worked? But when the two of them showed up at her table, someone else was already there.

Caesar was sitting in a chair next to Suzie, leaning on the table and chatting with her. His body language was obviously faced toward her, and just when Joseph was about to blow his top, Caesar spoke first.

"It's really no problem," he said with a soft voice, grinning at her. "You looked like you could use a hand, and I was right there, so why not? You shouldn't be afraid to ask for help if you're stressed. It's bad for you."

Suzie's cheeks were a light shade of pink, and she was playing with her hair more than usual. Joseph could feel cracks forming in his chest. Smokey was looking up at him with concern in his eyes, and when he nudged him, Joseph didn't budge. He was vaguely aware of Smokey asking him if he was okay, but he didn't respond.

"We should go," Smokey said, but Joseph shushed him before he could say anything else. Caesar was still talking.

"I'm excited for tomorrow night. Should be a good game, no matter who wins. You usually go to all the games, right? I'm pretty sure I've seen you around before. You're pretty hard to forget." Suzie's face blushed a little darker, and Caesar offered her a charming laugh. He pulled one of the pieces of raffle paper off the roll and started to write his phone number down on it, still saying a whole bunch of suave bullshit. Hell no. "Here, that's my number. You can call or text me whenever you need help with anything like this again. Or if you just need someone to talk to."

Joseph, who could not believe he was watching this unfold in real time, couldn't take any more of it, and marched his way up to them. He ripped off a piece of raffle paper and slammed it down on the table, and Caesar and Suzie looked up at him like he had three eyes.

"JoJo?"

"Can I help you?"

Their questions were simultaneous, and Suzie continued to look alarmed while Caesar's expression faded surprise into boredom.

"I'd like to buy a raffle ticket, please," Joseph said, staring Caesar down. "But I'd like to buy it from her, since it's _our_ school that's holding the raffle."

"Actually, it's a raffle for anyone who shows up at the game," Suzie explained, leaning forward and speaking a little louder, as if to try and break their attention away from each other. "I already told you about it. It's for players, band members, staff and crowd alike. Anyone who buys a ticket to the game or is actively a part of it, and purchases a raffle ticket as well, is entered. Hendrix students are allowed to enter just like Morrison students are."

"Okay, well, whatever. I still haven't bought one. So, I would like to buy one."

It was two dollars to enter, and Joseph opened his wallet and laid two bills on the table, which Caesar promptly picked up. That had been, quite literally, the last of his cash. At least for a few days.

"Nice, nice," Caesar muttered, filling in the blanks on the newly purchased ticket. "You're all set. See you around."

"Actually, I wanted to talk to Suz-"

He was interrupted by a group of several girls laughing behind him, clustered close together and clinging to each other, each trying to push another forward.

"No, _you_ go first!"

"I don't want to talk to him first! I'm so nervous!"

"You know he moved here from the big city, right? No way he's gonna like a girl like _you_!"

"His whole family is _Italian!_ "

"Have you heard him talk?"

"Have you seen his car?"

Joseph was starting to feel like he could be sick all over the raffle table.

"Sorry, Joseph, looks like we've got a line forming again. Maybe you can come back later," Caesar said, tearing off a few more tickets and motioning the girls forward. " _Ciao_ , ladies! Who's up first?"

Disgusting. Wait, wait… _nauseante._

"I'll just see you around then, Suz," Joseph mumbled, stepping out of the way for the giggling group of girls. She smiled and waved at him as he walked away, but he didn't really pay attention. His mood was sour. "Hey, Smokey. Go for a drive with me."

"Smokey!"  
"What?" They were practically yelling at each other as Joseph rounded a bend and the wind whipped through the windows, but the music had stopped. Joseph switched gears and then pointed at the cassette player, glancing over at Smokey for a second before looking back at the road.

The only reason Joseph didn't have an absurd amount of speeding tickets was because of his personal relationships with the police in the area and his sheer dumb luck. He shouldn't get off the hook at all with as much speeding as he did, but there wasn't much damage he could do in a town of less than eight hundred people, surrounded by empty country roads and highways. He drove home that night with all the windows down, averaging about thirty miles an hour over the speed limit the whole way. Smokey almost lost his hat out the window twice before giving up and holding it in his hand, but there wasn't much a guy could do when Joseph was blasting his favorite 'Songs That Will Get You A Speeding Ticket' mix.

"Take the tape out and switch it over to the other side!"

"Are you asking me to switch your cassette tape over to side B in the year 2015?"

"Yeah! Some of the best songs are on the flip side!"

Smokey laughed and then went ahead and did it, smiling the whole time. Driving around with Joseph was a trip. A blast from a past neither of them were actually alive for. The car itself, the music, everything was old.

 _"Nobody gonna take my car, I'm gonna race it to the ground,"_ the speakers blared. _"Nobody gonna beat my car, it's gonna break the speed of sound…"_

Another shift, and Joseph was clearly just showing off, jamming out to the song and singing all the lyrics. Smokey couldn't blame him, though. A car like that was hard to be humble about, not to mention he was pretty sure this was how Joseph always cleared his head.

 _"Alright, hold tight, I'm a Highway Star!"_

The two made it back to town in record time on their part, and instead of taking Smokey home or going back to his house, Joseph skidded into the convenience store parking lot, parked crookedly across two spots like an asshole, and started rummaging around in a cup of loose change.

"Do I even want to know what you're doing?"

"I just need… like two bucks." The music was still blaring, and Joseph was counting out pennies and dimes.

"For _what?_ "

"Eggs."

" _What?"_

Joseph stopped what he was doing, satisfied with the amount of change he'd managed to find in the cup, and looked Smokey directly in the eye as he turned off his car.

"I'm gonna egg Zeppeli's house. Are you gonna help me or not?"

Smokey burst into laughter, stepping out of the car and heading across the parking lot. He may have gotten a new wallet that day, but there was no way he was going to pass up the chance to coat someone's front door in a layer of raw egg.

With his friend on his side again, Joseph walked into the store and straight to the back wall, picking out the dozen eggs that were fated to get friendly with Caesar's porch, and then he marched to the front again, dumping a fist full of change on the counter. He walked out while the cashier was still counting it, with a salute and a whistle. She saw him on the regular and knew he'd never short change her, so she didn't bother to make him wait.

There was no need to do any research on where Caesar lived. Everyone knew where the Zeppeli's lived- the house was three times bigger than everyone else's and straddling the line between their two respective towns. In a way, it was on the outskirts of both, away from all the other tiny clusters of houses and any of the buildings. It was like it was built there specifically just to stand out, and it was annoying. In a way, though, the best way to get back at something for being annoying was to throw things at it.

* * *

Upon arriving home, Caesar took his things out of the backseat of his car and yawned, trudging up to the front door of his house, keys at the ready to unlock the door. His nose crinkled when he realized there was egg yolk all over the handle, and then all over the rest of it, and the doormat, and the porch swing, the doorbell… how immature. He calmly stuck his things back in his car and walked around the side of the house to get the hose, and proceeded to rinse off the front door and porch, shivering when some of the mist sprayed back at him. He could hear his mother yelling something inside, and then he could see her, making frantic gestures from the dining room window, wondering what the hell he was doing. He could do little more than shrug.

With the porch all cleaned off, he grabbed his things for the last time that evening and headed inside, where he spurned his mother's questions and offered only his usual vague answers. He wasn't in the mood to tell her someone had been immature enough to pelt their door with eggs. What had she been so busy doing in the first place, that she hadn't heard it happening? If he'd been home, he would've kicked Joestar's ass on the front lawn.

Once he managed to escape, he went upstairs and into his bedroom, flopping down on his bed and taking his cellphone out. He needed a way spite Joestar- really burn him. He pulled up his contacts and scrolled through them until he found the newest one, a name he'd put in there only about an hour before, and touched the call button.

"Hello?"

"Suzie. It's Caesar. I know we practically just saw each other, but I was thinking all the way home how much I regret not formally making plans with you earlier… I was wondering if you'd want to get coffee with me. Monday, maybe? Everything should be calmed down by then, hm?"

"It should be," Suzie replied, a bit on the shy side. "I'd love to get coffee with you. I had fun talking with you tonight."

"So did I," Caesar said, smirking up at the ceiling. "That's all I wanted to know. Monday after school it is, then. I'll pick you up. _Buona notte e sogni d'oro,_ Suzie Q."

* * *

( **A/N:** This chapter's title is You've Got Another Thing Comin' by Judas Priest, and the song playing in Joseph's car is Highway Star by Deep Purple, if you'd like to give them a listen!)


	3. Chapter 3

**Burning Heart**

 _Does the crowd understand?_

 _Is it east versus west?_

 _Or man against man?_

With the most important game of the year upon him, Joseph only had one thing on his mind- kicking Caesar Zeppeli's ass. From the moment Joseph saw him on the field, still wearing that stupid bandana even underneath his helmet, he wanted to make sure he humiliated Caesar so badly that he'd never want to set foot on a football field again, let alone _Joseph's_ football field. He was feeling territorial and jealous, and the jealousy only made him angrier.

The bleachers were full, and there were people standing along the fence just to watch the game. There weren't enough regulars to fill the place that way, which meant there were even more people from out of town than usual… even more people for Joseph to impress. The Stormriders had a perfect streak going, and he was going to keep it going. Not only that, but he was on the Homecoming court as well, which the school staff had announced earlier at the pep rally. So was Suzie. If there was anyone in the tri-county area who didn't know who they were, they'd know after the game was over.

The game opening was full of hype, cheers and chants louder than usual in pure Homecoming spirit. As was customary, the players were brought out onto the field to the sound of 'Riders on the Storm,' and mixed in with the music, Joseph could hear his last name being chanted again. He struck his pose in front of the crowd on their side, and the cheering got even louder; a sea of green and yellow was waving colors and pumping their fists for _him_.

Take that, Zeppeli.

The Foxes came out onto the field to the unmistakable opening guitar of Jimi Hendrix's 'Foxy Lady,' with the crowd and the players both shouting along to every ' _foxy.'_ As it turned out, Caesar was just as loved by his own school as Joseph was by his, and once he was in the center of their side of the field, he did the unforgivable. He struck his own pose for the crowd to see, with one arm up with his fingers in the front of his hair, and his other hand holding his helmet close to his side.

 _The nerve._

Did he steal the idea to pose from Joseph? There was no way Joseph Joestar was unoriginal. The orange and purple waves on Caesar's side got rowdier, and the players were off onto the field.

Out on the field, things were even more tense. Joseph could _see_ him. He was right there, and he wasn't paying Joseph a bit of attention. Not even a glance. He was totally collected and ready to play, and Joseph was full of anger and had a bitter taste in his mouth. Instead of the purple and orange and green and yellow, all he could see was red. If Caesar was planning to do something to burn him back after the egging incident, he certainly wasn't showing it. Maybe he never found out about the eggs. Maybe the porch had been cleaned off before he even got home… no. There was no way. He knew, and it hadn't even fazed him.

Joseph knew he needed to calm down. But he was so bugged by the whole thing, he couldn't. Maybe his anger and frustration would help him play better.

Once both teams were positioned, the kicker got in his place and started the game off brilliantly. From that point on, the game was tense and close. Various chants could be heard from the sidelines in both directions, and Joseph thought he'd never been more serious about anything in his entire life. He and Caesar were both well loved… and one of them was going to come out on top tonight.

 _"Come on Riders,"_ the cheerleaders yelled from the sidelines, _"show your spirit! Rider crowd, let's hear it!"_

When half-time rolled around, Joseph was a sweaty mess and the game was still painfully close. Stormriders: 14, Foxes: 16. He was sore, they were ahead, and he wasn't having it. He'd had the opportunity to tackle Caesar himself only once by that point, and he'd taken the chance directly afterward to give him a piece of his mind. He'd asked him how he liked it, called him an asshole, and gotten nothing in response but a cold shrug and that same icy stare before Caesar had walked off.

While the halftime show was going on, he was lectured by his coach, and the whole time, he was red in the face and having trouble looking him in the eye. He knew he needed to shape up, and apparently it was painfully obvious.

"I don't know what the hell's on your mind tonight, Joestar, but you better get it out. You did this last week, too. We were lucky you didn't cost us the game, and tonight we can't afford that. Do you hear me?"

"Yeah."

"What was that?"

" _Yes, coach._ "

"Good, because I'd hate to bench you during the second half of the _Homecoming_ game. But I will. You _know_ I will. You're a role model, for christ's sake. Act like it. Show your team some damn dignity and quit making me regret starting you."

It was all just talk. Joseph knew there wasn't anyone good enough to replace him with, but it was still hard to listen to. Humiliating, even. He had just enough time to return to the field and run his hand through his hair a few times to try and smooth it down before the Homecoming Court was asked to step out.

He left his helmet behind and ran up to join the rest of them, feeling like a sweaty mess next to Suzie in her light blue strapless dress. It only came to her knees, and she'd forfeited the jacket for the sake of pictures. She was shivering something awful, and all the cuteness of her white polka dots wasn't enough to make her look like she was warm.

The entire court was introduced by name, and then, once everyone was back in place, the announcements were made for king and queen and prince and princess. Despite knowing they had a very good chance of being named Homecoming Prince and Princess, Joseph still found himself holding his breath.

He was right, and their names were called just before the King and Queen were announced, and the announcement was followed by several kind words the staff would have said about literally anyone. Joseph was actually fairly sure they'd said the same speech last year. Regardless, the two of them beamed brightly and stepped forward again to receive their crowns and sashes, and Joseph had his arm around Suzie, and he hoped against all hope that somewhere on the other side of the field, Caesar was noticing. The band was loud and proud and the crowd was cheering again, and most importantly, he was touching Suzie's waist. _Eat your heart out, Zeppeli. Homecoming Prince. Hell yeah._

The game was back underway shortly, and the second half was even closer than the first. The two teams managed to stay neck and neck up until the final seconds on the clock. It was less than a minute, but they'd ended up two points behind the Foxes. Again. They had time to come back... with the way the game had been going, those final few seconds were likely to last a good while.

Joseph's heart was pounding, and when the clock was down to twelve seconds, he found himself staring Caesar down again, this time much closer. He was between Joseph and the end zone, like a target just waiting to be laid flat, with that smug smirk leaving its mark in the dirt. As soon as the play started, however, it was Caesar who knocked Joseph flat on his back, and all of his pride went missing along with the air in his lungs. He'd only just barely gotten his hands on the ball. The way he'd tackled him had been fair, but things were heated between the two of them, and it had also been over the top and personal. It only took Joseph a second or two to get back up, but they'd barely even gotten anywhere, and with his injured pride and nasty temper, he found himself in Caesar's face.

Joseph had already trash talked him more than once that night, but it was only now that Caesar was appearing to actually let it affect him. With Joseph in his face, he didn't back down, and their voices were evenly matched.

"Do we have a problem?" Joseph yelled, practically knocking the grill of his helmet against Caesar's.

"Do we?" Caesar barked back, looking and sounding just as frustrated. It felt good to get a rise out of him. "You're doin' an awful lot of talking tonight, are we gonna play? Are we gonna finish the game _or are you gonna keep talking?_ "

The ref blew his whistle a few times, warning them to separate, and as much as Joseph wanted to hit Caesar, he didn't, and he backed off angrier than he already had been. He felt heavy, and he needed to blow off the pent up steam somehow, or his temper was going to get the best of him.

Back in formation again, the clock had ticked down even further, and they really only had time for one more big push before they would lose. The whistle sounded again, there was another wholly unproductive few seconds of play, and then they were back where they'd been moments before, with the ball in Joseph's hands.

There was only so much he could do, and he needed to think fast. He passed it off to a running back, it was caught, the crowd was screaming, and he managed to make a break for it.

When the ball was passed to him again, he was left with only two choices: lose, or win. Of course, there were many more ways to go about things, but not with the way he was thinking. It was black and white. He'd caught the pass with firm hands, close enough to the end zone to make it.

 _Shit, shit, shit_ … he started to run, but then Caesar was there, and _shit, shit, shit,_ he could pass again, and they'd have a good chance at game-winning points, but it needed to be _him_. He needed to be the one to make the touchdown, he needed to be the one who won the Stormriders their perfect season, and he was going to try.

People were yelling as Joseph started to run. The team, the crowd, the coaches, everyone. He could make it. He knew he could. It shouldn't be hard to get around Caesar. The win was _right there_. And he tried for it.

" _What are you doing!?_ "

He wasn't even sure who exactly had said it, but they didn't approve. Maybe it was more than one person. Screw it. He was already celebrating mentally as he was about to cross into the end zone, but just before he'd make it, someone rammed into him from the side. He went down hard with the clock running out almost immediately after, but he'd _definitely_ been over the line. He stood back up as quick as he could manage, looking around to judge everyone else's reactions. The people in the stands were rowdy, but the other players on his team were looking at him like he'd just betrayed all of them… had he not actually made it?

Everything seemed to happen in slow motion as the ref ruled that he had not, in fact, scored a proper touchdown. He looked around again, seeing Caesar next to him, and he realized it had been _him_ who'd taken him down, and all the anger he'd built up over the course of the game erupted out of him.

" _Bullshit!_ " he roared in the ref's direction, pointing vigorously at the line at his feet. The ref seemed set in his decision, and Caesar looked smug. "Bull _shit!_ I was right there, I _made_ it!"

"No you didn't," Caesar yelled, also pointing at the line. There was laughter in his voice. "Everyone saw it, you were acting like a selfish kid!"

"Was I fucking _talking_ to you?"

The game was over. The Foxes had officially won by two points, no matter how much Joseph might protest, and Caesar Zeppeli's voice was the most unappealing thing in the entire world.

Unable to hold it in anymore, Joseph snapped and pushed him with both hands, and Caesar staggered backward, quickly recovering and defensively doing the same in return. Despite knowing somewhere in the back of his mind that everyone was watching, Joseph didn't stop there. It felt so damn good to finally be able to break through that icy cool exterior, and now that he'd shoved back, it was _on_. He reached out and grabbed the front of Caesar's helmet, pulling him forward, ready to get into a full-on fight with him… but Caesar didn't fight back anymore. He broke away and glared at Joseph like he _wanted_ to, like he'd kill to rip his helmet off and give him a solid fist to the jaw, but he didn't.

"I'm not doing this here," he growled. "You can ruin your reputation without my help." His eyes were narrowed and his words dripped like venom from fangs begging to tear his aggressor apart. If they didn't actually have a problem before, they sure as hell did now.

Just then, someone grabbed Joseph by the back of his jersey and yanked him backward, letting him fall on his ass and then pick himself back up. He turned around to see who it was fully ready to yell at them too, but it was Coach- and he was pissed.

"I don't even have anything to say to you right now, Joestar." He jabbed a finger at his chest. "Get changed."

The words made Joseph's heart sink, and once his anger was overtaken by guilt, he knew he'd messed up in every possible way he could've. The glowing 25-27 on the scoreboard mocked him as he walked off the field, and he never wanted to show his face again.

* * *

After enduring several agonizing minutes of Coach's lecturing, Joseph felt like he was going to melt into a puddle of embarrassment and sink into the drain on the locker room floor. Anything would've been better than continuing to sit there. He needed to get out and _away_ before his team's comments and glares ripped him to shreds.

"Didja get what you wanted, Joestar?"

"Couldn't have saved your fetish for bein' the hero for any other game, huh? Had to be this one?"

"You could've passed to me. We would've won."

 _Yeah, I know,_ Joseph thought, slamming his locker door shut and putting his scarf on. _I screwed it up. I'm sure everyone in this goddamn town is gonna keep reminding me till I'm dead._

He stormed out without saying anything to anyone directly, removing his jersey on the way out the door and just keeping his undershirt on. it wasn't like that would help. Everyone knew who he was regardless.

Fighting his way through people trying to talk to him just so he could fetch Granny Erina and leave was one of the worst things he'd ever experienced. He could hear people calling his name as he pushed past them, and he refused to speak to anyone; there was no way they'd have anything positive to say. He thought maybe he would be able to breathe once they'd made it out of the school parking lot, but he was wrong. Right after they'd finally gotten in the car, he'd turned on the radio to try and drown out his thoughts, and Granny turned it off almost reflexively.

" _I cry out for magic, I feel it dancing in the light… it was cold, lost my hold to the shadows of the night-_ " Click. Granny Erina refused to ever listen to Dio.

And so they sat in silence the entire way home.

When he pulled the car into the driveway and parked it, he was starting to remove the keys from the ignition when she finally spoke up.

"JoJo."

"I don't want to talk about it." He left the keys where they were, letting his hand fall to rest on his leg.

"Joseph," she repeated, a little more firm this time. He grit his teeth and stared down at the steering wheel, unable to look up at her. "You lost your temper again."

Out of the corner of his eye he could see her looking at him through her tiny round glasses, practically swimming in one of his old jerseys. She was so small and frail, and yet, her voice could always break through his anger and bitterness.

"I know, I know! I just-"

"I wasn't through talking," she said. He quieted himself at once, and the silence was chilling. Outside, he could hear car horns honking as more students left the school, and he wished he could be driving around and celebrating. Granny Erina continued, speaking softly. "I know how important winning is to you. But sometimes, a Joestar needs to know his place is to help, and not to try and do everything on his own. The Joestar men have always been prideful, but they don't have to be. The way you acted toward that other boy was inappropriate."

"No, you don't get it. He's… he makes me so _angry!_ He's cocky and arrogant, and he's trying to get with Suzie, and he thinks he's _so important and great_ , and…"

"He sounds a lot like you."

Ouch. Joseph didn't really have a way to come back from that one, so he sat in silence for another moment until he could move past it and continue on.

"I'm just so… _agh!_ It would've hurt less if he just hit me. Instead, he left me looking like I was trying to start something with someone totally innocent, and that he was the good guy, and he's… _not._ He's some shi- _awful_ Cassanova with a goal to ruin my entire life." He sighed, finally fully taking the keys out of the ignition. "I'm not gonna be able to go anywhere ever again. You know how much this town cares about football. Did you see the way everyone was looking at me? I messed up. I'm gonna lose everything tomorrow. My date, my friends, anyone who ever cared about my football career..."

Before Granny Erina could say anything else, Joseph got out of the car and started to walk up to the front door, but turned around halfway and walked back to the car to open her door for her. He was almost rude to her, too.

He made it to the front door a second time and let himself inside, feeling defeated. Stress was filling his chest, and he knew he wouldn't be able to sleep. He hadn't even said goodbye to Suzie; he didn't have the guts to face her after all that had happened. She was probably out spending time with Caesar instead, anyway.

He took a step forward, about to head to his room, but Granny Erina reached out from behind him and grabbed onto his arm with a gentle hand, still cold from being outside, and he stopped.

"I'll still love you, JoJo," she told him.

The weight dropped off his shoulders, and he tuned around, offering her a small, genuine smile. He felt bad for dumping his anger and frustrations on her, but she was always the type to listen. He leaned down to match her height and pulled her into a hug, holding her close for several long seconds. It was hard to imagine life without her around.

"Thanks, Granny. Love you too."

( **A/N:** The title of this chapter is Burning Heart by Survivor. The team themes are Riders on the Storm by The Doors, and Foxy Lady by Jimi Hendrix. When Joseph gets in the car with Erina, Rainbow in the Dark by Dio is playing. ;) Thanks for reading!)


	4. Chapter 4

**Barracuda**

 _So this ain't the end, I saw you again today_

 _I had to_ _turn my heart away_

 _Smile like the sun, kisses for everyone_

 _And tales- it never fails_

 _You lyin' so low in the weeds_

 _I bet you gonna ambush me_

 _You'd have me down, down, down, down on my knees_

 _Now wouldn't ya, barracuda?_

Joseph stayed in his bed for as long as he could manage. His head was pounding when he finally sat up, and he figured it was because of how much time he'd spent clenching his teeth in his sleep. The night had been full of stress dreams, waking up every hour or so, and feeling horribly sick to his stomach. Honestly, he still felt sick, and it was _wholly_ unpleasant. Thinking about the evening to come might have been less worrisome if he hadn't been named Homecoming Prince. As such, Joseph was obligated to appear in the parade- with Suzie- and then at the dance later that night. He was supposed to go to the fair that afternoon, too. After everything that had happened the night before, he had no choice but to be around people that would dislike him, or even hate him, all day.

Maybe not. Maybe Suzie wouldn't even want anything to do with him. He grabbed his cellphone off his nightstand and buried himself back under the covers, taking a deep breath before he sent her a text. He wouldn't blame her for not even giving it a second glance, let alone responding.

 _hey suz,_ it said. _how mad would you be if i just didnt show up today?_

It was laughable, but he hit 'send' anyway and closed his eyes. His stomach was still churning.

 _Bzzt._

Oh… so she did respond. For a fleeting moment, Joseph considered taking his phone and chucking it across the room instead of reading the text. It wasn't like the phone itself was nice, or new, or expensive. He didn't even care much for using it. Maybe not having it would be better.

He finally gave in after about two minutes, opening the text with a sigh.

 _I need you here!_ it read. Was she already at the parade starting point?

The phone buzzed again a few seconds later, signaling a second incoming text.

 _The JoJo I know wouldn't let himself be embarrassed out of showing up to a big thing like homecoming, or the parade._

She knew he was embarrassed. That meant he must've really made a fool out of himself the night before… he wasn't surprised that it'd been so noticeable, but he wished it hadn't been.

 _ok,_ he texted back. Done.

He sat up in bed again, rubbing his eyes and looking around at the walls of his tiny bedroom. Two different pictures of REO Speedwagon were staring down at him, and those were just the ones he could see. Also in his line of sight was Boston, Judas Priest, Queen… that one poster of Fleetwood Mac. There was poster of The Doors over by his door, for humorous purposes, and Jim Morrison was pointing at him. The sight of it made him feel guilty. All those bands undoubtedly went through rough patches, and their records and pictures and autographs weren't on his wall for no reason. They were inspiring. If they could pull through their trials with the whole world's eyes on them, Joseph could stand to get out of bed and show up to a parade. Time to get up and be a Joestar.

He made sure to go into the living room and give Granny Erina a hug the way he did every morning before he did anything else, and she was a dear and didn't bring up anything about the previous night at all. She simply told him she was proud of him, and he went to make himself some toast. His stomach was too nervous for much else.

After a quick shower and getting dressed as hurriedly as he could without putting his shoes on the wrong feet, Joseph bolted out the door, where he had to pause to wash the losing score of last night's game (written in purple and orange) off all his car windows. Incredible. He knew exactly who would've done something like that, and it took everything he had to not walk to the end of the driveway and kick the mailbox.

* * *

The Homecoming Parade was awful. Being Juniors, Joseph and Suzie weren't required to dress up for their appearance in the parade, but they still had to sit awkwardly next to each other through the entire thing, and they'd been whispering when they could.

"I'm glad you showed up. Sitting here by myself would've been horrible," she whispered at him after the start. She was trying to smile and wave while she was talking, and Joseph was trying not to take the cold stares he was getting to heart. A man sitting along the side of the street with his wife whispered something to her as the float passed by, and Joseph was certain it was about him.

"It's horrible anyway," he replied, giving in and waving along with her, albeit halfheartedly.

"Sorry. But it isn't my fault it's not fun for you."

"It's not my fault, either!" Joseph stopped waving and turned his body in Suzie's direction, almost pleading with her.

"Really? Who's fault is it, then, Mister Fight Picker?"

"I didn't-" Joseph trailed off, looking down at his lap. When he continued, he was quiet.

"Are you kidding me? Can you not see how much of an asshole that Caesar guy is?"

Suzie didn't look back over at him."I don't know. He wasn't the one starting fights and calling names on the field last night. That was all you." She paused to blow a kiss at a little girl on the side of the street who was waving vigorously at her, and then finally turned back to Joseph, looking sad. "All I saw was him doing his best to not get angry, and you were doing the opposite. It was embarrassing. Did you think about how I would feel at all? You're my Homecoming date. I stood on the field with you, I'm on the float with you right now, and I'll have to show up at the dance with you later. You're in a horrible mood, and everyone is looking at you, and by default, me! It's _embarrassing_ , JoJo. I'm embarrassed."

Joseph wasn't sure what to say in response, so he just sat there, picking at the start of a hole in his jeans and feeling sick again. It was too early in the morning to be feeling this down already. He was glad he only ate toast.

Suzie finally spoke up again with her eyes closed, trying to look and sound gentle. "You're welcome to stick around for the fair later, but I'm just warning you, Caesar will probably be there."

Joseph perked up at the sound of Caesar's name. "How do you know?"

"I invited him," she told him matter-of-factly. She stopped talking to smile bright for a picture someone was taking, and then continued. "He's been nothing but nice to me, and we're having coffee on Monday."

That was the last Joseph heard from her until the parade was over. He wasn't able to say anything else after that. The comment burned and it felt like his lungs had been dried out.

That son of a bitch. Joseph knew he was only taking Suzie out to get back at him. It was only to make him mad. He didn't care about her. _Joseph_ cared about her. He'd been practically in love with her for years. This isn't how things were supposed to go. In fact, it was so far from the way things should be, that it was completely backwards.

Stay for the fair? Oh, he'd be staying for the fair. He had words for Caesar Zeppeli.

The rest of the parade was uncomfortable. It ended right where the fair began, so most of the other parade participants just went right on into the fair while Joseph and Suzie met up with other friends. Smokey was there waiting for them, and a few others, and Joseph was beyond relieved to see them. Finally, some people he could talk to that he knew wouldn't be angry at him or judge him too harshly. However, in what seemed to be a reoccurring theme in his life as of late, Caesar was also there, which was enough to ruin absolutely everything else.

Joseph didn't even want to acknowledge his presence, but in the worst possible turn of events, Caesar was fully ready to acknowledge his. After he'd taken time to give Suzie a hug- which made Joseph angry in and of itself- Caesar turned to him and smiled. An actual smile, perfect teeth and all, and then he _spoke_ to him.

"Hey, Joestar." He blew a bubble with the piece of gum he was chewing, and popped it.

That was it. No ' _surprised to see you made it out after last night,_ ' or _'how's it feel to have an entire town hate you._ ' Nothing. He was probably just acting like nothing was bothering him because Suzie was right there, and that made things even worse. Joseph didn't say anything in return. He was too busy waiting for more foul play.

Once everyone else had walked ahead, Smokey nudged Joseph. "You okay, JoJo?"

"Totally fine," Joseph replied through clenched teeth. "I'm gonna kill him. How dare he talk to me like nothing happened. I swear to God, I'll-"

"Okay, so, not fine." Smokey grabbed his arm and pulled him aside, speaking to him again in a low voice once they were somewhat hidden behind the ticket booth. "What the heck happened last night? You were fine, and then you started acting like you were out for blood or somethin'. Like, you didn't even care about playing for the team. It was all personal. I'm not gonna judge ya, JoJo, but seriously. I'm sure you have your reasons…"

"I have reasons out the ass, Smokey." Joseph peered around the wall of the booth, staring at the others, watching as Caesar appeared to be making some sort of sappy comments about Suzie's hair. She was playing with the waves like she usually did when she was feeling flirty, and Joseph narrowed his eyes at them both. He smacked the ticket booth wall and then ducked back behind it, pleading with his friend. "You gotta believe me, Smokey. That guy is a grade-A jerk. He's after Suzie, and he's been… I dunno, trying to be better than me at _everything_ for like a year now. Ever since he moved out here, and it's only getting worse."

"So, be better than him."

Joseph stone-faced him, but he felt a little offended. His best friend, the guy that was practically his little brother, just told him to get good. "It's not that easy, Smokes. It's like… no matter what I do, he has to find a way to make me look bad or make himself look better. I can't get away from it."

Smokey's nose scrunched up and he side-eyed Joseph with a laugh. "Are you sure you aren't, like… overthinking this? It kinda seems like maybe he's just a normal person and you're thinking about him a lot more than he's thinking about you."

"Don't phrase it like that."

"I'm just sayin'."

Joseph groaned and gave up, eventually walking out from behind the ticket booth and back over to where everyone else was standing.

The fair was horribly small, and it didn't have much at all in the way of rides; the town couldn't afford very much in general. Joseph couldn't complain, though. Because of his status and Prince and Suzie's as Princess, tickets had been free, and free things were often easier to enjoy. There was a ferris wheel, a few long strips of booths set up for games and prizes, and two little fun houses the kids always flocked to. A main stage was set up for various performances, and the rest was mainly food, usually overpriced. It was how they always made their money. Still, it was something to do, which was rare in and of itself. Usually, Joseph would have to drive an hour to find anything interesting at all.

"Back," he said, after rejoining the group. Total nonchalance. Nailed it. Smokey was at his side again moments later. "Sorry, got distracted. Where are we headed?"

"I thought it might be fun to walk around a bit and see what games they have this year," Suzie said gently, as if she was afraid of setting someone off. Joseph felt bad for putting her in the middle of his spat… he needed to try and keep his cool. It wouldn't be fair to leave her feeling so awful because of his own personal problems."I think everyone else already has their tickets, so we can go whenever we want!"

Poor Suzie. She seemed a little tense, being right in the middle of two boys who were quite obviously not okay with each other, but she was trying her hardest as usual.

Everyone agreed that checking out what all the fair had to offer that year was a good idea, and they spent a good amount of time just wandering the place. There were signs up for fireworks later that night after the Homecoming dance was over, and Suzie seemed excited about them. Joseph made a mental note to ask her after the dance if she was up for going to see the show. He knew she was disappointed in him, but maybe he could fix it… even with the possibility that she might never want to be more than friends.

Caesar was driving him insane. The amount of flirting he was doing was unnecessary, and it was making Joseph mad. He was smooth, taking Suzie's hand to lead her places but not trying to hold it any other time, making sure he always knew what _she_ wanted to do next, and not worrying at all about himself… or so it seemed. Joseph was sure Caesar was _only_ worrying about himself, and all this was just a means to get what he wanted, and what he wanted was to bug the shit out of Joseph, obviously. If Smokey wasn't there, Joseph would've left.

Caesar's presence made Joseph feel like garbage. The more they walked around the fair, the more he could hear girls chittering as they passed, and he was constantly catching bits and pieces of comments about Caesar. About his hair and his smile, about his money… everything that Joseph hated. His hairstyle was idiotic, the way he liked to flaunt his family's wealth was annoying, and the little bit of lopsidedness in his grin wasn't charming, it was ugly. But somehow, Caesar's expensive jeans and name-brand blue cardigan left Joseph feeling scrummy and self conscious in his football hoodie.

"Hey, uh… can I talk to you, Suzie?" Joseph eventually asked, after several rounds of games and being forced to watch Caesar buy her a fluffy pink helping of cotton candy. She kept staring at it like it was a goddamn bouquet of flowers.

"Sure," she said, picking a bit of pink fluff off the rest. She was so cute. "We'll be right back, guys," she told everyone before breaking away with Joseph and heading to a far off picnic table to sit down. She looked at him expectantly, continuing to snack on the cotton candy. She didn't ask what he wanted, and it was awkward.

"Suz…" Might as well cut to the chase. "You know that guy is trying to run my life into the ground, right?"

"JoJo… stop it. We just talked about this."

"I'm being completely serious. Man, I… I feel like a total jackass, but-"

"Well, you're being one, so I get it."

Yikes. Joseph felt his stomach drop, and it was hard to get his next few words out at first. "I messed up last night, I get it. I just… really don't like him. And… I dunno, seeing you so readily… happy… makes me worry," he explained.

"Seeing me happy makes you worry?"

"No! No." Joseph held his hands up, panicking slightly. "That's not… what I meant. I just don't trust him. I think the whole reason he's acting like this toward you is because he knows it'll piss me off."

"Why would it piss you off?"

There it was. In the middle of the fair, with young kids running around everywhere and the smell of funnel cake wafting through the air, Joseph had the chance to tell Suzie exactly how he felt about her. He drew a breath... and he chickened out.

"It doesn't matter," he said with a nervous laugh. "I…Maybe I'm just feeling protective over you."

"Well, stop it."

Joseph motioned toward her with a wave of his hand, feeling frustrated. "You know why he's being so nice to you, right? I mean… you're not totally unaware, are you? He's trying to sleep with you. I'd bet a million bucks on it."

Suzie's face got red, and she was suddenly extremely interested in dissecting the rest of her cotton candy. "JoJo… We haven't even actually gone out anywhere yet. How well do you even know him? It's only been a few days since he introduced himself to me, and he's been nothing but a gentleman."

"He's being a gentleman because he wants to get laid," Joseph whispered at her harshly. He was becoming increasingly frustrated.

"Oh, right. I forgot that men are incapable of being nice unless they want favors," Suzie remarked, rolling her eyes. "I'm not having this conversation. I honestly think the way he acts around me is refreshing. And you know what? Even if he was trying to sleep with me, if he kept going about things this way, I _probably wouldn't mind!_ " With an exasperated laugh, she held Joseph's gaze. She sounded upset and bitter, and her eyes started to water, leaving him feeling guilty. "Stop making me mad at you, JoJo."

"Sorry, Suzie, I just…"

"You just what? You have an awful lot of excuses." She glanced over at Caesar, and then back at Joseph, before tossing her hair over her shoulder and standing up. "I don't want to be involved in this anymore. Hey, Caesar! C'mere!" She called out.

Joseph froze in his seat, feeling the urge to get up and run. Shit. He'd just tried to physically fight Caesar last night, and he'd seen the look in his eyes, and now Suzie was calling him over. If no one else had been there last night, Caesar would've taken a swing at him. Who knows how far it could've gone? He was making his way over to their little picnic table, and Suzie grabbed Joseph's arm, tugging insistently to try and get him to stand up.

"Both of you. Follow me," she said, traipsing a few feet away toward the ferris wheel, which currently didn't have much of a line at all. They both followed, Caesar like normal, and Joseph like a dog who'd just been kicked. He didn't have much of a choice- the girl had a terrifying grip, and he was still a prisoner.

Once they were stopped in front of the man running the ride, she turned to them and smiled huge, handing the rest of her cotton candy off to Caesar. "Take this. Okay, here's the deal! I was planning on having a good day today, and that's still the plan! From the sounds of it, you two have some issues regarding each other and _no one else_ , and I'm not gonna let it ruin my day! So…"

She turned away from them and to the tanned and tattooed ride operator, pointing at both of them from over her shoulder.

"These two would like to ride together," she told him. She spun on her heel to look back at Joseph and Caesar, grabbing one of each of their hands in her own. "Work it out," she commanded in a low voice, still smiling.

She skipped back over to her picnic table of choice, sitting down and resting her head on her hands, watching them. They probably weren't a very interesting subject, standing there in mutual silence until the ride operator finally spoke up.

"So," he asked, sounding bored. "You two gonna ride or not?"  
"No," Joseph said immediately, turning to walk away. Caesar grabbed his arm, and he felt a surge of anger and annoyance charge through his body, whipping back around to face him.

"Why not?" Caesar asked, laughing. His laugh was stupid. Nothing was funny. "You scared? I didn't know you were afraid of heights."

"I'm not," Joseph said, yanking his arm away. "I just don't want to sit on the damn ferris wheel with you. And don't touch me."

"You can just say you're afraid. Fear of heights is actually very common."

"Are you serious- fine. Fine!" Joseph pushed past him and sat down in the seat waiting for them, huffing. Caesar thanked the man and apologized to the people who'd gathered in a small line behind them, and then sat down next to him, getting comfy and shaking the whole damn carriage as he got comfortable.

"Stop," Joseph said flatly, refusing to look at him. They started to move upward, and Caesar laughed again.

"You _are_ afraid of heights, aren't you?"

"I said I'm not. I just don't want you to shake the whole fucking… this thing is like thirty years old, at least."

As more people got on the ferris wheel, they started to get higher up, and the mock friendliness Caesar was showing was unnerving.

"Ah, right. I forgot everything around here was ancient and boring. Even most of the people." He shrugged and held the cotton candy Suzie had passed off on him out toward Joseph, snapping his gum. "Want some? I don't like cotton candy."

What kind of monster doesn't like cotton candy?

"No, I don't want any of the cotton candy _that you bought for Suzie,_ " Joseph said, finally turning to glare at him. His cool attitude was rage-inducing. It was the same way he'd been at the start of the football game, just more talkative. "What's your deal? Why are you being such an asshole?"

"Me?" Caesar asked, leaning back and letting his free hand dangle over the half wall. He blew another bubble with his gum and let it pop, shrugging. "What's up? Am I getting to you, Joseph?"

"No one calls me that."

"I know," he chuckled.

Joseph wanted to throw him off the ride from the top as soon as they got there. He was quiet for a moment, and then asked another question. "Did you write all over my car last night?"

"Ha, yeah. Did you like my craftsmanship? I thought it looked pretty."

"I don't get you," Joseph said, looking out over the town and trying to ignore how mad he actually felt about his car. From this height, he could see just how flat everything in the surrounding area really was. It was that way for miles. He couldn't really remember the last time he'd driven over a hill. "You act like you wanna ruin my life and kick my ass, and then when I get heated, you back off."

"I didn't have any intention of ruining your life," Caesar told him, still leaning back and staring at the clouds. "At least not to start. You're the one who took time and money to egg the front of my house. I thought it was immature, and I didn't even do anything in response, and then you were all over me at last night's game. I haven't done _anything_ to you. Maybe I should."

"Are you _kidding_ me?" Joseph leaned forward a bit too fast and shook their seat. "'Didn't do anything in response?' You wrote all over my car last night, and you started hanging all over Suzie as soon as you realized how I felt about her!"

"Ooh, a confession. I like this." Caesar sat forward as well, looking straight at Joseph, finally showing off some of that anger that had flashed in his eyes the previous night. "Do you really think I'm going after Suzie to get to you? Are you _that_ self centered? Maybe it hasn't occurred to you that I actually _like_ her, and that she's a person who can make her own choices and not your property to get defensive over."

He leaned back in his former relaxed position, and after a moment of silence, he spoke again, looking at Joseph out of the corner of his eye.

"Hit the nail _right_ on the head about me wanting to kick your ass, though. Just give me a reason."

Caesar snapped another bubble and Joseph winced. He bit his tongue and stayed quiet, continuing to stare out over the flat nothingness he'd always called home, and for the first time in his life, he desperately wished he was living anywhere else.

 **(A/N:** This chapter is actually only half of one very long chapter, and you should have the second half here in a few days. It's written and just needs to be heavily edited. Chapter title on this one is Barracuda by Heart! **)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Heartache Tonight**

 _Somebody's gonna hurt someone_

 _before the night is through_

 _Somebody's gonna come undone._

 _There's nothin' we can do._

 _Everybody wants to touch somebody_

 _if it takes all night._

 _Everybody wants to take a little chance,_

 _Make it come out right._

 _There's gonna be a heartache tonight,_

 _a heartache tonight, I know._

Joseph and Caesar didn't speak again for the rest of their time spent at the fair. Joseph stayed close to Smokey, and left Caesar alone, despite how painful it was to watch him play his game with Suzie. Joseph didn't care what he said, there was no way he could ever care about Suzie the way she deserved.

Everyone eventually parted ways to get ready for the dance that evening, and when Joseph finally showed up at Suzie's house to pick her up, his head was full of mixed feelings. He wanted to be honest with her, to tell her how he really felt and why the way Caesar was acting made him so mad, but he also wanted to just drop the whole thing and let her be happy. Even if the one thing that made her happy was the person he hated more than anyone else. But as stubborn as Joseph was, he knew he'd have to bring it up again.

Suzie's parents were full of their usual nosy questions, wondering what time she would be home, if they were doing anything after, how Joseph was doing… and they just kept coming. He wished he could say they were doing something after, but at the rate things were going, they probably wouldn't be doing much for a while.

"It's Homecoming Weekend," her dad said, putting a hand on Joseph's shoulder. "I'm sure there's _something_ fun going on around here."

"Ha, yeah, probably…" Joseph was tense under his hand. "More than usual anyway. We'll see how tired we are later."

It had been a stressful weekend.

"He sounds like me." Suzie's dad looked over at his wife, chuckling.

"Always wanting to do something but always too tired," she said, rolling her eyes a bit. This was typical boring married couple banter and it was _terrifying._ "Oh, JoJo. Suzie's just a little behind schedule… last I checked, she was trying to decide between two pairs of earrings and I think she was sending pictures to friends. You know how she is, always needing opinions."

Damn it. That meant he had no escape route until she was finally ready.

He continued to be bombarded with questions while Suzie remained upstairs, but when she came out into the living room, Joseph could swear he felt his heart skip a beat.

He'd been feeling like he looked stupid in his outfit. It was vintage, almost, with brown pants and shoes, a white shirt, light blue tie and suspenders. Suzie's polka dot dress, however, matched his tie and completed the vintage look, and they were stunning. The only thing that would make them look better was holding hands.

Despite Suzie taking a bit of extra time deciding on her earrings, they were right on schedule. The drive to the school was surprisingly relaxed; Suzie was singing along to the songs on the radio and checking her reflection in the side mirror. She smelled nice, she looked gorgeous, and Joseph was helpless. He wanted to apologize to her for the way he'd been acting, but he couldn't seem to form the words he wanted to say. It was frustrating. Once they pulled into the school parking lot and found a spot, however, it was Suzie who turned to speak to him.

"JoJo?" she asked quietly, smiling at him.

"Yeah?"

"Before we go in there, we have to talk. I don't think I could stand it if we didn't get things out in the open first."

Joseph felt his stomach do a flip, and he grimaced a little, but he nodded. Suzie had started the conversation, so she obviously had something on her mind. He'd let her speak first. "What's up?"

"A lot," she told him, sighing. "You've tried really hard to do better today, even if you're… not having the best time. It means a lot to me. And… look. I know this weekend has been really, _really_ rough on you. I think this is the most stressed out I've ever seen you, and I know I'm… part of the reason why."

Joseph held his tongue as she continued, still feeling tense. He'd been tense all week. It was getting old. Suzie went on talking, and he had to try really hard not to avert his gaze.

"I've been a little upset with you for a few different reasons," she told him. "But I just want you to know how important you are to me. I don't think I could ever stop caring about you, or wanting to be around you, no matter what. You just… get so charged and hot-headed sometimes, and it's hard for me to deal with. This thing with Caesar… it's one of those times. And I want to hear it straight from you. No skirting around it. How come?"

"I just don't like him," Joseph said adamantly. He shrugged, palms up, already sick of talking about the guy.

"This is honesty hour, you big jerk," she said, lightly hitting his arm. "I said no skirting."

Joseph was quiet for what felt like an eternity, and then turned as much toward her as he could in his seat behind the wheel. He'd chickened out of telling her the truth earlier, but he couldn't do it this time. He had to say something.

"No skirting? Alright. You know, when I asked you to be my Homecoming date, I didn't mean as friends, right? I was nervous as hell to ask you, because I meant I wanted you to go with me as my actual date-date, not a friend-date." It took every part of him to not look away, but he managed. It felt hot in the car, but he knew it wasn't. "I think I've had feelings for you since we were... what, twelve? If you can even have real feelings that early. Pretty sure I did. And I mean, it's whatever…"

She wasn't saying anything, but she was looking at him sadly, almost guiltily. Shit. He kept going, starting to fumble for his words a little more.

"I guess I just felt like this guy swooped in and amazed you in thirty seconds flat, when I'd been trying to impress you for years, and I felt like there was something wrong with me. Or something. It's stupid. I'm fine... with… being friends." Joseph paused for a second, then two, and shook his head. "Actually? No. I need to hear it from you first. Did you ever… do you…?"

Suzie bit her lip and smiled over at him, but there was a look in her eyes that was already giving Joseph his answer.

"Did you think I didn't know that?" she asked quietly, reaching over to pick a piece of string off the sleeve of his shirt. "I always knew. But you never actually talked to me about it, and at this point… I have trouble seeing you as anything other than my best friend."

A painful answer, but quite honestly the one he was expecting. Suzie wasn't finished talking, but her words didn't cut as bad as Joseph thought they would. All that time of wondering if she felt the same about him, and he finally knew. It was more of a feeling of relief than anything else. An ease of some of the tension in his shoulders. There was a slight ache in his chest, but it was dull. Like it was healing already, maybe.

"Now, you've heard it from me straight. You're still, like, my favorite person in the world, JoJo. I'm your biggest fan. Aside from Granny Erina, maybe. She might have me beat." She laughed softly, and the sound made Joseph smile. "Here's what I need to know. You meant to ask me to this dance as more than friends, and I want to go to this with you as _just_ friends. Are you okay with going and having a good time with your best friend and biggest fan? Or is it gonna hurt?"

"I'll be fine," Joseph said, and surprisingly, he meant it. The conversation was bittersweet, but things felt like they'd been set straight. He'd been turned down before, and he could handle it again. "I promise."

"Good. I want to have a blast tonight with you." She reached for the door handle and started to get out, and then turned back to stick her tongue out at him. Earlier she'd said she was embarrassed, and this resolution was a much, much nicer one, all things considered. "Now get outta this car so I can hug you."

* * *

The dance was predictably cheesy. Both Homecomings Joseph had been to so far had been the same. The same shitty music, the same shitty overly affectionate couples, and a lot of kids who had no clue how to dress themselves. He did his best to ignore everyone else, since there weren't very many people there he cared about, and most of his team was still pissed at him. He was there to help Suzie have a good time, and that was really it.

The gym was lit in soft light, making Suzie look even nicer, and instead of making his heart ache, it made him happier to be there with her. It was an interesting feeling.

 _She really is something,_ he found himself thinking while they were slow dancing out on the floor later that night to one of the only songs he could actually enjoy. He should probably listen to more current music. Or not. The words to the song felt bittersweet.

 _"Lying beside you, here in the dark, feeling your heartbeat with mine... softly you whisper, you're so sincere, how could our love be so blind?"_

"Journey?" Suzie asked, pulling away to look at him as the song continued. "You requested this forever ago, didn't you? There's no other reason they'd ever play it."

"Guilty as charged."

 _"So now I come to you with open arms, nothing to hide, believe what I say… so here I am, with open arms, hoping you'll see what your love means to me, open arms…"_

Suzie leaned into him again and buried her face in his shoulder. "You big sap."

She was a beautiful person in a lot of ways, and Joseph was thankful for her, even if he couldn't kiss her like he so desperately wanted to. Growing up in such a small town had kept her down to earth and given her a mind to care for most of the people she came in contact with. She was probably too good for him anyway… but if that was the case, she was _definitely_ too good for Caesar.

Once the dance was almost over and had started to wind down in the last hour, many of the students were stepping out the back door of the gym for fresh air. It was definitely getting gross inside, with people sweating and the air getting hot, so Joseph and Suzie made their way out as well. She was laughing as they walked through the door, trying to fix her hair and eventually giving up on it, and the amount of joy radiating from her made her even more of a pleasure to be around.

"This has been so much fun, JoJo," she told him, leaning against the cool brick wall outside. "I'm really happy."

"I'm glad," Joseph said, looking around at the people standing near them. He was about to turn back to her and say something else, but he caught a flash of purple out of the corner of his eye and completely forgot what he was going to say.

Several feet away, Caesar Zeppeli was standing around with two other friends, looking like they were there solely to cause trouble. They had to be- they weren't allowed to be there. Why else would they go out of their way to sneak in?

Joseph felt anger welling up in his chest again. Not tonight. Caesar wasn't allowed to mess things up again tonight. It was infuriating. He was wearing Fox Purple, too. He was literally only there to make Joseph hate him even more. _Not out to ruin his life?_ What a load of garbage.

Joseph tried to stand in a spot that would obscure Caesar from Suzie's line of sight, hoping maybe she wouldn't see him, but it was only a few seconds later that he showed up right next to them. He had his hands in his pockets and was bobbing casually on the balls of his feet, and he looked… really good. For once, he wasn't wearing that god awful bandana. It was an outrage.

"This dance is so small," he said casually, peeking inside the nearby doors and straightening his tie. He was also wearing a black vest, and Suzie had a weakness for vests. Joseph still didn't even own one. Fuck. "Not what I'm used to, that's for sure."

Joseph wanted to grab him by the shoulders and scream that he wasn't even invited, but instead, he took a few deep breaths and didn't say anything at all.

"What are _you_ doing here?!" Suzie asked playfully, batting at Caesar's arm. "You don't even have tickets."

"It's really easy to sneak in when they've got the back doors open like this," he explained, flashing a smile. Didn't this guy know where he wasn't wanted? "I've been trying to stay outta sight for the most part. We just got here a while ago… but I had to come over and tell you how great you look. That dress is beautiful on you."

 _Shit!_ Joseph had totally forgotten to tell Suzie that she looked nice. He'd been thinking about everything else, and now he felt like a complete idiot. He'd only thought about it a million times, but he never actually said it out loud. He was officially awful. Suzie was blushing at Caesar's compliment, and Joseph had to turn away for a second, mentally cursing himself.

"Oh," Suzie giggled, smoothing down the front of her dress. "Thank you! You don't look half bad yourself."

" _Grazie!_ Hey… listen." Caesar leaned in a little closer to her, and Joseph's mind flooded with thoughts of physically pulling him away and putting him on the ground. "This was sort of an impromptu thing. We weren't gonna crash the place, but… ha, this is really embarrassing. I couldn't stop thinking about asking you for a dance. Just one, if that's all I can get before someone kicks me out."

Suzie's eyes darted to Joseph as if to tell him _don't you dare,_ and he shook his head at her, holding his hands up. He'd promised he would have fun with her tonight, and he intended to keep that promise by _not_ putting Caesar Zeppeli's head through a window.

"I'd love to dance with you a little," Suzie told him, giving off more pure joy when Caesar took her by the hand. This was a different kind of joy, though. It was less of the kind caused by a friend, and much more of the kind that was caused by reciprocated romantic interest.

"Hope you don't mind me stealing your date for a while," Caesar said as they ducked inside, with his back-up friends close behind.

For a while. Right. Joseph has to bite back his bark, glaring at Caesar silently instead.

Watching them dance was painful. They managed to get two dances in, one slow and one not, and of course, Caesar knew infinitely more about it than Joseph did. The guy wasn't even supposed to be at their Homecoming dance, and yet there he was, sweeping Suzie off her feet. He was smiling and laughing the entire time, and the way he held her was different, and when they'd finished with their slow dance, he kissed the back of her hand.

Who actually does things like that? This was a high school dance, not some royal affair.

Caesar was quick to duck back outside before too many people noticed that he wasn't supposed to be there, and even out in the night air, he was still laughing.

"I don't think I've ever had a better dance partner," he told Suzie, resting a hand on the front of his vest.

For Christ's sake.

"Hey, if the two of you didn't already have plans," he continued, eyeing Joseph, "you should come with us here in a bit to hang out, Suzie. Watch fireworks, go for a drive... We'll probably get something to eat, too, if you're hungry."

This joker was making plans with Joseph's date right in front of him, and it was annoying. He knew Suzie wouldn't say no to Caesar, either. She was too enamored with him.

"I don't think we had plans," Suzie replied slowly, looking over at Joseph. She was giving him a chance to say otherwise… and he couldn't bring himself to do it.

He felt sick to his stomach, but he couldn't fight against Caesar on this anymore. Suzie had flat out said at the fair earlier that she was interested in him, and in the car earlier, she'd confirmed that she'd never seen herself as being anything more than friends with Joseph. He could hate Caesar all he wanted- and he would hate him with every fiber of his being- but nothing he could do would change Suzie's mind. So he would let the hate fester, but he would leave Suzie's attraction out of it. There were plenty of other reasons to hate Caesar.

"No, we didn't have plans," he said, sounding a little defeated and tired. He would feel guilty for keeping Suzie directly related to their problems. She didn't deserve it.

"Great!" Caesar turned away from Joseph, taking one of Suzie's hands in both of his own. "I'll make sure you get home and everything, so Joseph doesn't have to worry about it at all. We wouldn't be out too late, anyway."

"That's so nice of you," Joseph said, letting the sarcasm flow freely in Caesar's direction. "If the two of you are leaving, then so am I. But… I wanna talk to you first, Caesar. Alone."

"No problem." Caesar stepped away from Suzie, who was starting to look understandably nervous, and walked away with Joseph, tossing a few words over his shoulder. "I'll be right back."

Joseph led him around the side of the school and into the empty back parking lot. It was barely even lit, since it was supposed to be off-limits after school hours, so naturally, while it was much more deserted than anywhere else, they weren't the only ones back there. There was a couple getting handsy against the wall, and the girl giggled as they passed by. Joseph didn't even look at them. He kept walking until they were out of sight, stopping near the outer fence, where he finally turned to Caesar and grabbed the front of his vest, pinning him against the wire fence in one swift movement. The metal rattled and he held him there, and Caesar didn't even protest.

In the dark, Joseph could barely see him grinning.

"You're a fucking asshole," he growled, closer to his face than he ever wanted to be. "Suzie likes you. And I don't think I'll ever understand why, but it doesn't matter. Go have your fun, do what you want. But I swear to god… if you do anything to hurt her, I'll smash your teeth in."

Caesar reached up and gently grabbed Joseph's wrist with both of his hands, annoyingly calm under his grip. "Don't worry, Joestar. I won't lay a finger on her... that she doesn't want me to."

That was it. It was the last straw.

Joseph couldn't care less if he'd promised himself he would behave tonight. Caesar had crossed the line more than once already that weekend. Before he could really think about what he was doing, Joseph took a swing at him with his free hand, and Caesar tightened his grip on Joseph's wrist, forcing his hand open and breaking free, causing his fist to connect with the fence, rattling it hard instead.

Caesar was quick, and immediately took his chance to plant his feet and swing back, socking Joseph right in the eye. It was a solid hit, and Joseph felt the pain all at once. It sent him staggering back, and Caesar stepped forward and threw another punch at him, this time hitting him in the ribs.

"I told you to give me a reason," he growled, stepping back and crossing his arms. "Should I keep going?"

Joseph was partially bent over and covering his eye, but he managed to look up at Caesar, defiant. "No. You'll get what's coming to you."

Joseph couldn't believe Caesar had been so ready for that, or that he was able to hit him so hard. Vowing to get him back later, when Suzie wasn't in the immediate picture, he stood up fully and turned to walk away, leaving for what felt like the millionth time that weekend with a thoroughly bruised pride. He couldn't even fathom the idea of walking back over to Suzie after that.

"Tell Suzie I left," he muttered, putting up a hand.

Back at his car, Joseph slammed the door so hard he felt bad for a second, but he was in too awful a mood to dwell on it. Caesar had been way too ready for that fight, if it could even be called that. He sat in the dark for a while, resting his head on the steering wheel, and then pulled his phone out of his pocket to send Suzie a text, ending the day the same way he'd started it.

 _sorry i didnt get to say bye,_ he sent. _you looked beautiful tonight. hope you have a good time._

He paused, and then after a few seconds of hesitation, sent another text.

 _text me when you get home so i know youre okay._

It was distracting to drive home with an eye that was quickly swelling and bruising, but his mind was occupied by other things. More than anything else, he couldn't stop thinking about Caesar dancing with Suzie. The way she'd been smiling, she'd been shining brighter than anyone else there. His thoughts quickly turned to what she'd said at the fair, about not minding if Caesar was trying to sleep with her. Maybe she was just frustrated and saying things to make a point, or maybe she was serious. Either way, the mental image of his lips on hers, his hand on her knee and slowly working its way up her thigh, heated kisses moving around to her neck… it was all enough to make Joseph want to pull his car over and scream.

Once he was home, he crept inside as quietly as he could, knowing Granny Erina would already be asleep. She would want to talk to him in the morning, but Joseph wouldn't want to talk to her. At least not for a while. He took a much longer shower than was really necessary and climbed into bed, pulling his covers over his head to completely bury himself. The closest he could get to actually being six feet under.

It was Saturday night, the world was upside down, and Joseph and his black eye didn't drag themselves out of bed until Wednesday.

* * *

( **A/N:** Thanks for your patience with the second half of this monster chapter! The title of this one is Heartache Tonight by Eagles, and the song Joseph and Suzie dance to at Homecoming is Open Arms by Journey.)


	6. Chapter 6

**Bad Moon Rising**

 _Hope you got your things together_

 _Hope you are quite prepared to die_

 _Looks like we're in for nasty weather_

 _One eye is taken for an eye._

 _Don't go around tonight,_

 _Well, it's bound to take your life_

 _There's a bad moon on the rise._

"Okay, next up… do you wanna go to the house across the street, or the one next door?" Caesar had his hand on his youngest sister's shoulder as he spoke to her, pointing to each house in turn. He sounded serious. This was an important decision... for an eight-year-old, at least. The house next door was decorated all out for Halloween, with orange lights and cobwebs, even a scarecrow by the front door and some tombstones in the yard.

Sara fidgeted with her little pumpkin trick-or-treat bucket, eyeing the house nervously and then looking over at Suzie, who was standing next to Caesar on the sidewalk. She wiggled her nose and the cat whiskers drawn on her cheeks moved with it. "That one's scary," she mumbled.

"Pff, it's not scary," said her older sister, crossing her arms. "They just put spiderwebs on the bushes 'n stuff. Plus they prolly have good candy, since they decorated."

"I like the way you think, Sofia," Caesar said, nodding at her. Smart kid.

"Sara," Suzie started, moving closer to Caesar's youngest sister. She was adorable, with blonde hair just like Caesar's contrasting against her black witch hat and kitty whiskers. "If you want, I'll walk up there with you!"

Sara nodded vigorously and Sofia charged on ahead, nearly tripping over her princess dress. For a split second, Caesar had a vision of her falling and scraping herself up on the sidewalk, and he was relieved when she only stumbled and caught herself.

"Oh, wait!" Suzie called after her, taking Sara by the hand and also running ahead. Caesar followed behind them all, catching up when they were near the porch.

He'd always had a lot of fun on Halloween. When he was younger, trick-or-treating had been what he looked forward to all year, sometimes more than Christmas, and now, he had just as much fun taking his siblings out. Nico had decided he was too old for it this year, so he'd stayed home and watched movies, and Vince had been gone all evening doing haunted house work, so Caesar had only his sisters to look after, but he was glad Suzie wanted to tag along and help. She'd even seemed excited about it all, and it was a good feeling.

The girls were slowly walking up to the door all together, huddled close, and just as Sofia was about to knock... the scarecrow sitting in the chair by the door moved.

All three of them screamed embarrassingly loud, but Suzie was the only one that bolted, and Caesar couldn't stop laughing. She'd turned and hauled it all the way off the porch, and as soon as she realized the scarecrow was actually the owner of the home, she stomped her foot and walked back up.

"I should've seen that coming," she said with an embarrassed laugh. "You'd think I would be used to Halloween tricks by now."  
"It's okay, hun." The woman in the scarecrow garb lifted up the bowl of candy from the other side of her chair and placed it on her lap. "I'm sorry I scared you all so badly! Here, you girls can have some extra. A whole handful for the princess, and another for the cute little cat. How old are you, dear?" She asked Sara, smiling so she wouldn't be so spooked anymore.

"Eight," Sara replied, shuffling her feet.  
"I'm ten!" Sofia added without being asked. She was always the more forceful one.

"Well you're both precious. You're welcome to take some too," she said, nodding at Suzie. "Your dress is wonderful, I think I had one like that when I was your age!"

Suzie thanked her and leaned forward, taking a single piece of candy, and the three of them said goodbye, stepping off the porch. Suzie didn't unwrap her piece of candy until she was standing next to Caesar again and they were back on the sidewalk. Under the street light, he could see her blush.

"I thought you were gonna run all the way across the street," Caesar teased, bumping into her as they walked.

Suzie bumped him right back, looking down at her feet and popping the piece of chocolate into her mouth. "Hush."

Sofia called out from a few feet ahead, interrupting their shameless flirting. "Caesar, my bucket is already full again!"

"So's mine," Sara added loudly, holding hers up.

"So come here and dump them, then." Caesar held out the pillowcase he was carrying, which was already about half full of candy, and the girls added to it. He snickered, yanking the pillowcase back after they were done. "Thanks! More for me!"

There were immediate protests, and he shrugged, following it up with a wink. He was definitely going to steal some of it, though. For sure.

The girls ran ahead once they were sure he wasn't actually serious about keeping all their candy, and Caesar stayed a little behind to keep talking to Suzie. He couldn't stop looking at her. She'd worn a red dress from the fifties, one she'd worked hard to find, and she'd even done her hair in a style reminiscent of the time. After a bit of persuasion, she'd gotten Caesar to wear a black leather jacket and white t-shirt so they'd match, and it made something in his chest flutter.

Hed been taken with her since they'd first gone out for coffee a few weeks prior, and after a few more times getting together and just talking, Caesar had known he wanted to ask her out. While he'd been planning something nice, 'no better time than the present' was becoming an increasingly relevant phrase.

"Thanks for coming out and doing this with me tonight," he said quietly, going out of his way to step on some crunchy looking leaves. "The girls really look up to you. I don't think Sofia is ever going to want to take off that makeup you did."

"She looks cute! I don't blame her." Suzie kicked around some leaves as well, tapping Caesar's foot with her own. Both of them watched as his sisters got candy from another house, staying quiet for a little while. When Suzie spoke up again, the smile was audible in her voice. "Your family is cute. I'm probably gonna ask you a lot about them."

"That's fine." A silence between them fell after Caesar spoke, and a few kids could be heard yelling somewhere behind them. He looked over at Suzie again, feeling a mixture of things in his heart all at once, and after a few seconds, she caught him.

"Whatcha starin' at?" she asked, smirking at him.

"You," he answered truthfully. "You look really good. And I just keep thinking… it's probably silly, since we've already been out a few times, but I've been dying to officially ask you…"

Suzie was staring right up at him and trying her hardest not to smile too big- it was obvious that she knew what he wanted to ask, and it made things just a little easier.

"What are you so excited about?" Caesar continued with a laugh, deciding to play around with her. "I was just going to ask you if you could help me with my homework."

Suzie wasn't fooled, and she erupted in giggles. They filled the night air like bubbles. "Oh, _sure_. Do you want me to actually help you with your homework, or are you wanting me to 'help you with your homework?'" She held up her hands, using air quotes around her words.

"Suzie Q!" Caesar gasped, saying her name like he was offended she would even mention such a thing. "I wouldn't ask you to 'help me with my homework' unless we were dating. Speaking of which…"

"Oh, you're so _frustrating!_ " Suzie groaned, pushing him playfully. "I've been wanting to hold your hand all night!"

"Please, go ahead," Caesar said, offering his hand. She took it, pink in the cheeks, and huffed, turning her face away from him as their fingers laced together. "In all seriousness, though… I'd love for you to be my girlfriend."

"I'd like that too," Suzie confessed, looking back over at him and giving his hand a squeeze.

It was like a dream to hold her hand that way, and Caesar felt like he was floating the entire time they walked, and all the way back to where he'd parked his mom's car. Not terribly romantic, but there was no way he was shoving two sisters and an ungodly amount of candy in _his_ car. The girls were tired and irritable from walking so much, but Caesar knew as soon as they got home and started eating candy that would change. They'd just be awake and energetic and irritable instead.

Caesar's house sat between one town and the next, and wasn't included in a neighborhood, so just like the previous year, they'd had to go trick-or-treating somewhere else. It wasn't much of a problem, really. If anything, it was nice. Being away from everyone else meant no one was trying to ring the doorbell at midnight on Halloween like a genuine asshole.

Back in the house, his mom welcomed them all back with hugs. She was immediately bombarded with daughters showing off how much candy they'd gotten, bouncing on the balls of their feet and trying to say too many things at once. Nico and Vince were home as well; there was some overplayed Halloween movie on in the other room at an unacceptable volume, and everything was loud. His house was large and open, and it was always noisy.

Caesar wasn't sure how his poor mother handled it.

"Wait, girls, let the big kids go through your candy first to make sure it's okay," his mom called out after Sara and Sofia started to squabble over the pillowcase full of sweets. "I'm sure they won't steal too much of it."

"I'll only steal a few pieces," Suzie chimed in, reaching to take the pillowcase from them. She had much better luck getting it than Caesar would have. Subtly pointing over at him, she stood with his sisters. "It's him you have to worry about, not me."

Nico was eyeing Caesar from his chair in the living room as Suzie spoke, smirking at him as if he could tell his brother wasn't single anymore. Brotherly connections. Vince was making a peanut butter sandwich in the corner of the kitchen, covered in fake blood. He must've just gotten home. He stacked the sandwich on top of two others, all for himself, and held up a casual peace sign when he saw Caesar glance his way.

"I'm sure Suzie will make sure Caesar doesn't take too much of it," his mom told the girls. She looked a little frazzled. "Vince, I thought I told you to wash that off."

"I will. I was hungry," Vince countered from across the kitchen. His shaggy brown hair was almost completely covering his eyes, and Caesar wasn't sure how he could tell which direction he was even looking.

"You're bleeding on my white cabinets," his mom said, staring pointedly at the costume blood on his hands. "And you're getting it on your bread."

"It's edible, it's fine." Vince told her, sloppily spreading more peanut butter across the second half of the sandwich. He paused when he saw the look he was getting, and sighed. "Okay, fine, I'm goin', I'm goin'. Nobody better touch my sandwiches though."

He stood up straight and started to walk toward the stairs, detouring to pull Caesar into a huge hug, much to his protest. Despite being a year younger, Vince was much larger, and after laughing and getting fake blood all over Caesar's face and shirt in the hug process, he smacked him on the back and bounded up the stairs. After Vince was in his room, the muffled sounds of the opening guitar to "Cowboys From Hell" could be heard loudly from above.

As if he'd been waiting for the perfect moment, Nico immediately ran into the kitchen to nab one of the sandwiches Vince had left behind. He'd shoved one halfway into his mouth before he was even all the way out of the room.

Poor Suzie was watching everything happen and smiling about it, but Caesar was sure she was wondering what exactly she may have gotten herself into. He certainly would be.

"Okay, let's get this stuff sorted," he suggested, finally taking the pillowcase from Suzie. He moved to the kitchen table and unceremoniously dumped the whole thing just as his step-dad walked in through the garage with the dog, adding the sound of excited click-clacking nails and heavy paws on tile to the mix. Caesar immediately tensed at the man's presence, but he didn't stick around long.

It only took a few minutes to sort through everything, and after he put it all in one big bowl in the center of the table, Caesar and Suzie set a few things aside for themselves. Caesar's stash mostly consisted of chewing gum and Jolly Ranchers, and it looked like Suzie had a thing for chocolate. Kisses, especially. Cute.

Caesar started looking for an escape from all the noise as soon as he could, but it wasn't exactly an easy thing to get away from. Definitely not his bedroom, with Suzie over... mom would smack him upside the head. Multiple times, most likely. That left either going back outside on another walk, or… basement?

Basement.

He gently poked at Suzie's arm and ducked out of the kitchen, heading downstairs where it was cool and quiet. Or at least, quieter. The occasional loud banter could still be heard from upstairs.

"Nico! Did you take one of my sandwiches..? You ass!"

" _Vincenzo Rinaldo Zeppeli, watch your mouth!_ "

"Sorry, mamma!"

Even though the noise in the house was still audible, it was much calmer, and Caesar felt like he could breathe again. He spent a lot of time on his own in the basement; it was nicely furnished and it was where the drum set was, but he'd also occasionally watch a movie or study down there if his brothers were being too loud upstairs. Honestly, it was like a second bedroom. He'd slept down here more than once.

"Okay," Suzie said, looking around the basement and putting her hands on her hips. "Now I have even more things to be curious about."

"Like?" Caesar asked, flopping onto the couch and looking over at her.

Suzie skipped over to the couch and sat down next to him, grabbing his hand again. "Like why you didn't tell me your family was so great, or that you had a cute dog. These things are really important! Especially the dog."

"You like him? His name is Marshmallow." Caesar couldn't even say it without laughing. It was quite a name for a German Shepherd with a bark like his.

"Are you serious?"

"Yeah. Sara named him."

Suzie smiled, slipping her shoes off and pulling her feet up onto the couch. "Like I said earlier… your family is wonderful."

"Ah, I'm glad you think so," Caesar said, leaning his head back and looking up at the ceiling. "They can be a handful, but they're alright."

"Your mom's accent is beautiful," Suzie remarked. "It's like yours, but I think it's a little stronger."

"Mhm." Caesar paused, looking back over at her. People talked about his accent all the time, and it was a bit tiring, but genuine compliments and questions were much easier to deal with. it wasn't hard to tell when someone was just being nosy. Most people just asked him to say things. "My parents both spent most of their lives in Italy, until they moved over here. I was born in the States, so I grew up knowing both Italian and English and speaking to people with American accents daily. My accent will never be as strong as my parents', and Sara and Sofia have softer accents than mine. People ask where I'm from all the time, naturally. They never believe me when I say New York."

"That's funny," Suzie said, letting her hair down and running her fingers through it. Oh no. She smelled really good. "So… what brought you all the way to Middle of Nowhere, Kansas?"

It was still a sore subject. Caesar wasn't too keen on the idea of spending a lot of time talking about it, so he shrugged and decided to be as vague as he thought he could get away with. "Mmm, it's a long story. My parents split up when I was twelve. My mom met a guy she liked a while back, and here we are."

"For what it's worth, I'm super glad you're here," Suzie told him quietly.

Caesar got homesick a lot. There was nowhere near enough to do or enough people here for his liking. He liked to people watch and explore the city, to talk to new people every day, and see new faces consistently, and he couldn't do any of that anymore. Everything was always the same.

"Thanks," he replied slowly, desperately wanting to move on but not wanting to show it. "Anything else you wanted to know?"

"Hmmm…" Suzie stood up and walked across the room and over to the drum set, almost looking like she was afraid to get too close to it. "Who plays the drums? Wait! Let me guess. Is it Vince? He seems like he would do something like that."

Caesar smiled and stood up as well, walking over and looking at the set with her. "Nah. Vince is a guitar kinda guy. This is mine." He shrugged his shoulders like it was no big deal, but it was definitely a _big deal_. He'd been adding pieces to that drum set since he'd gotten it for his thirteenth birthday, and he played it every day. He wished he was playing it right then, honestly, but it was after dark and his mother was already undoubtedly suffering.

"Yours? That's so cool! You know you're gonna have to play me something, right?" Suzie grinned, and Caesar's ego swelled a little. Damn right it was cool.

"I'll play for you sometime soon," he promised quietly, noticing that Suzie had taken a step closer to him. He felt his heart flutter, and suddenly all the words he was going to say were slipping away. All he could think about was how soft her lips looked. "Ha… that just means you'll have to keep coming over."

"I don't think that'll be a problem," Suzie said, getting even closer and reaching out to tug lightly on his jacket.

Caesar almost took a full step back right into his drum set when she closed the space between them, but he managed to just awkwardly bump it instead, with a nervous laugh. So much for being suave and pulled together. He recovered quickly, redeeming himself with one hand on her waist and the other in her hair, meeting her in the middle and kissing her lightly.

The kiss was soft and lasted a while, and when they'd just barely broken apart, Caesar kissed her again, almost hesitantly. Their noses brushed lightly against each other, and Suzie giggled against his lips.

Aw, shit. She was really cute, the kiss was _really_ nice, and he didn't want to stop. It seemed like maybe she didn't either. Caesar knew he shouldn't be greedy about it, but…

After a few more seconds, as if the universe felt the need to tell him to knock it off, there was a loud, shattering crash on the floor upstairs, and he nearly jumped out of his skin.

" _Nico!_ " came his mother's voice from somewhere up above them.

"I'll clean it up!"

Caesar's heart was beating fast, and he stepped away from Suzie, a little flushed. He couldn't help but smile, but he tried to hide it, rubbing the back of his neck with a hand. "Hey, uh… it's still pretty early. You know, for a Saturday on Halloween. We should do something… somewhere… else."

Suzie had a look about her that she knew she'd flustered him and was proud of it, and she nodded. "I don't mind going out and doing something. If we're going anywhere, though… you should probably change your shirt. There's still fake blood on it." She leaned forward and ran a thumb along his jawline, biting her lower lip. "There's some on your face still, too."

Caesar wiped at the spot she'd touched and smiled at her. "I was planning on keeping it. It fits the mood of the evening, don't you think?"

"Yeah, totally. There's a small chance that maybe it kinda does it for me, too," Suzie joked.

"Really?" Caesar asked, playing along. "Maybe we _should_ just hang out here."

"Haha, you're funny." Suzie gave him two tiny pats on the cheek, grinning at him with her eyes closed. "C'mon. We can figure out where we wanna go on the way."

" _Fine._ Gimme just a second to go change."

* * *

"Okay, no. Hear me out, Smokey."

Joseph was sitting at a picnic table outside several small haunted houses, talking animatedly to Smokey in the dim light. These haunted houses were set up every year about half an hour away from town, each one with a different theme, and it was Joseph's favorite part of Halloween. The odd smell of cooking french fries from a nearby food stand mixed with latex was in the air, and someone revved a chainsaw in the distance. A group of girls shrieked from across the lot.

"JoJo, I swear to God…" Smokey already sounded fed up with whatever Joseph was proposing. "I will get up and walk away."

"No, just listen! We didn't wear Halloween costumes this year, I know. It's done. Whatever. But there's _always_ next year, and I'm begging you-"

"Don't."

"Go to that costume shop in the city with me. I'll drive and everything. But I need you to rent that bear costume."

"I'm not being Smokey the Bear, JoJo. Not now, not next year, not ever. You make this joke every year."

"God _dammit-_ "

Joseph was just about to say something else, but he caught sight of Suzie out of the corner of his eye, and she looked gorgeous. Her red dress was stunning, and she was wearing a black leather jacket over it… but it was too big on her. She was tiny. Caesar was with her- of course- but this time, he was holding her hand. The jealous monster Joseph had been shoving back into the recesses of his chest made some noise, and he didn't even feel like fighting it. He was at the point of letting his hatred grow, specifically so he could let it out when the timing was right.

Caesar and Suzie didn't even notice him as they walked by a few feet away, and it bugged him. Caesar had on a three-quarter sleeve Rush shirt, and he'd switched out his regular bandana for a black and white paisley one. He was smiley and talking animatedly with Suzie about something having to do with music, but Joseph couldn't catch enough of the conversation to know what it was.

"JoJo, sit down, you're halfway out of your seat," Smokey commented after they'd passed, tugging on Joseph's arm.

"Oh, I see," Joseph said, sitting heavily. "So they're a thing now? An official thing? Great! Good for them. I'm not even gonna worry about it."

About ten seconds passed in silence, before Joseph drew a big breath and spoke again.

"What _is_ this? What is he even supposed to be dressed as? Did he decide to go out this year as someone who listens to quality music?"

"I'm pretty sure he's not even dressed up," Smokey said, picking at his fries. They were probably cold by now. "I think he's just being him."

"He's not allowed to wear a Rush shirt," Joseph argued, stealing a fry and eating it a bit violently for someone who wasn't angry. "Since when does he have good music taste? He doesn't look like he would listen to anything good."

"What does a person with good music taste even look like?" Smokey asked, exasperated. "What did _you_ think he listened to?"

Joseph took another french fry and threw it in the direction Caesar and Suzie had walked in. "I don't know, opera? Enya? The ambient sounds of someone taking a shit? Definitely not Rush."

"Well, apparently you were wrong," Smokey said, pulling his fries closer to him protectively.

"And look! He even has on a new shitty bandana!" Joseph grabbed at the spot on the table where Smokey's fries had been a few seconds earlier, but his fingers just brushed on the wood and chipped paint. He gave up and put on his best dramatic announcer voice, still speaking in the direction Caesar had walked. "' _And here we see Zeppeli has traded out his classic purple and orange look for a more sophisticated and toned down one. No more aggressive school pride for this guy, no sir… The new black bandana adds a layer of mystery, and every girl in a thirty mile radius apparently wants to fuck him..._ '" He finished with a thumbs down and a loud fart noise, and stood up to pace.

Smokey stood up after him, finishing off the last bit of his fries and throwing the holder away. "I really think you should just ignore them. I mean, there was like a ninety percent chance they would show up here. It's the only thing that ever happens around here on Halloween. I think I've seen over half the people I know here tonight. Besides, you were fine until just a minute ago."

Joseph stopped pacing and turned to face him, frustrated. "He gave me a black eye three weeks ago, Smokey, and I couldn't say a damn thing about it. I wish I could get him back. Maybe give _him_ one. Eye for an eye, y'know?"

"How about we go back to egging houses instead of plotting actual bodily harm?"

Joseph crossed his arms, staring out over the makeshift parking lot and chewing his lip. "You're no fun. Whatever, I'll think of something that'll burn him."

Throughout the rest of the evening, the two of them didn't run into Suzie and Caesar nearly as much as Joseph thought they would. They seemed to be avoiding other people for the most part. The next time Joseph saw Suzie, she'd found some of her other friends and was excitedly chittering away with them, still wrapped up in Caesar's jacket. She waved at him and he waved back, but he didn't bother going over to say hello.

Suzie still had no idea what had happened between him and Caesar at the Homecoming dance, and as much as Joseph wanted to tell her, he couldn't bring himself to do it. He'd lied to her instead, telling her that he'd hit himself in the face working on his car in the garage. As if. Maybe he was just too proud to admit that her boyfriend could've kicked his ass. Oh, the idea of giving him what he deserved was so appealing.

A few minutes after spotting Suzie, Joseph saw Caesar again, over near one of the small house setups, having a conversation with one of the girls that worked there. She was motioning to her own face as if she was talking about her effects makeup, and Joseph was even more confused. Why would Caesar care about any of that? Did he just know everyone everywhere he went? Why wasn't he with Suzie? He sure was smiling a lot. He was probably being a shitty boyfriend and hitting on some other chick while Suzie was off talking to her friends. Joseph wouldn't put it past him.

Alice Cooper's "Feed My Frankenstein" was playing on one of the nearby speakers, and it couldn't have been more fitting- in the most disgusting way possible.

"Smokey," Joseph whispered, putting a hand on his friend's shoulder. "I hate him."

"I know," Smokey replied. "I know you do."

"I think…" Joseph started, turning away from Caesar and his undead lady friend. "I'm gonna try and talk to him. Tonight. Eh… okay, maybe not tonight, but definitely soon."

"I think that's the worst idea you've ever had. Even worse than the bear costume." Smokey laid it out like he saw it, flat and to the point, and then motioned over his shoulder. "Have fun with that, JoJo. I'm gonna get something to drink."

"Wait," Joseph said, holding him there. "Me too. I just gotta get some change outta my car first. Come with me."

Smokey followed as Joseph jogged out to his car, little puffs of their breath trailing behind them as they went. They sky was cloudless, and it was making the night even chillier. They were so far away from any significantly sized cities that the stars were beautifully bright, and Joseph found himself staring up at them as he reached out to unlock his car door.

"I should have enough change in the… what the f-" he stopped abruptly as he grabbed the handle and touched something hard that wasn't supposed to be there, yanking his hand back. After leaning forward and examining the handle, he realized there was a _god damn Jolly Rancher stuck to it._ There was a second one stuck lower on the door, too, and Joseph stood up straight and exhaled sharply out his nose, pursing his lips. "That piece of trash put Jolly Ranchers on my car."

Smokey seemed reluctant to speak up. "Are you seriously blaming Caesar for this? You don't even know it was him. Coulda just been some dumb kid."

"Who else would do something like that to my car _specifically_? Are you kidding me? You only put these things on someone's car if you wanna take the paint off," Joseph was getting louder, becoming increasingly frustrated. "I mean, sure, she just has primer on right now, but it's still the same effect. He put his hands on my car and then he _stuck candy to her_."

"Are you guys really two years older than me? Are we sure?" Smokey sighed.

"Two can play at this game," Joseph continued, ignoring him. "I'm gonna find his car and let the air out of his tires."

Smokey was quiet for a moment, and then nodded slowly. "That's the kind of revenge I can let you go after. But how are you gonna know which car is his?"

"Oh, I'll know." Joseph scanned the parking lot for a grand total of about ten seconds, and then pointed. "There it is."

Joseph had no trouble at all knowing exactly which one it was. Caesar's car was parked away from everyone else's, like he was paranoid someone would scratch it or mess around with or breathe on it.

"Oh, right, a Porsche. That seems like a totally reasonable car for a seventeen-year-old to have around here," Smokey said sarcastically, crossing his arms. "Of course he would have the nicest car in the parking lot."

"Excuse you," Joseph countered, offended. He put a hand on the hood of his own car, patting it and being obnoxiously precise with his words. " _This_ is the nicest car in the parking lot. Her name is Aja and you should treat her with respect, just like you would any other beautiful lady-"

"JoJo, you once told a girl to her face that she wasn't hot enough to date you," Smokey interrupted.

"Ah ah ah, _shh_. Beautiful ladies, I said. Specifically the pretty ones. Aja is a 1967 Ford Mustang in excellent condition, thanks to me, and she is gorgeous. That," he pointed harshly toward Caesar's car, "is a German piece of shit. I'm surprised he doesn't have an Italian piece of shit instead."

"Right." Smokey put a hand up and started to turn to walk away. He was laughing, but he sounded a bit tired. "I'm gonna go grab that Coke I wanted, but good luck with that revenge plot. It'll be easier to be sneaky if it's just you, I think. Come find me when you're done."

And just like that, Joseph was left alone. He grabbed his keys out of his pocket and quietly worked his way across the parking lot, trying to keep his head down, and when he made it over to Caesar's car, he knelt down out of sight to get a better look at it.

As much as he thought it was unnecessarily flashy and over the top, he had to admit it was less of a piece of shit than he'd ever say out loud. It was sleek and black and it looked like he took really good care of it, but Joseph couldn't say he was surprised. If he had an expensive car like that and _didn't_ take care of it, it would be infuriating. Joseph almost felt bad for what he was about to do, but that was the reason he'd chosen to deflate some tires instead of doing something that would scratch his paint or worse. Coming out to flat tires would be annoying enough.

Carefully and quietly, Joseph unscrewed the stem cap on the back left tire and held one of his keys to the stem, pressing down on the valve just inside until he could hear the hiss of air leaking out. It was a satisfying sound, but not quite satisfying enough- he'd need to hear it three more times. Two flat tires would probably be plenty, but he was feeling bitter and upset, so he decided on all four. There was no way Caesar would be going anywhere later without help, or at least one hell of a hassle.

Once he was done, Joseph stood up and admired his handiwork, and then backed away from the car as lightly as he could so he wouldn't make too much noise on the pavement. Once he was a few feet away, he saw movement coming up from between some of the other cars, and his heart skipped.

It was Caesar, and he didn't see Joseph right away; he was busy looking down at his phone, his face illuminated by the bright screen. When he did look up, he caught sight of Joseph and stopped.

"What are you doing?" he asked, stepping closer and putting his phone in his pocket. His head turned the smallest amount toward his car, and Joseph knew he'd seen. He tried to back away, and Caesar yelled at him again. "Hey!"

Joseph wanted to hold his ground, but they weren't in the right place for him to do it, so he kept walking, knowing Caesar would follow him. He walked straight past Caesar's car- in a weird way, he wanted him to _really_ see it- and to another part of the parking lot, behind some other cars and out of view. They were far enough away that no one would hear them if things between them got heated, and Joseph only stopped walking when Caesar grabbed the back of his shirt in a fist and pulled him back.

"Tell me you didn't just deflate my _fucking_ tires," he growled as Joseph forcefully pulled himself away. It was the first time he'd heard Caesar swear out of actual anger, and it felt good. "If you're the one that just touched my car, I'll lay you flat."

"You're the biggest hypocrite I've ever met," Joseph said. "You talk like you didn't just do shit to _my_ car when you got here. You won't even deny it. What do you _want_ from me?"

"I don't want anything from you," Caesar yelled, jabbing a finger at Joseph's chest. The guy talked with his hands like no other. "I don't care about you. You know how often I think about you? How often you cross my mind? _Never._ Unless you're in my presence, I don't give a _shit_ about you. I played a fucking prank on you when I saw your car here. You know how to take care of that? Hot water. You know how I take care of four _fucking_ flat tires? I have to call a tow truck!"

"Big deal," Joseph said, shrugging.

He could feel the anger swelling up in his chest from three weeks prior, and it was dangerous. Caesar had really burnt him, and he'd spent a few days trying to come back from it. Ever since, he'd been convincing himself he would be ready if they ever found themselves in that situation again. Joseph knew how he'd go about things this time around. He wouldn't be embarrassed again, and he'd put Caesar in his place.

"It _is_ a big deal! Now I'm stuck out here until I can get a tow, and I won't be able to get my girlfriend home on time like I promised I would!" Caesar was practically in Joseph's face, but so far, his bark was worse than his bite. A big city dog.

"Oh yeah, your girlfriend." Joseph smirked at him, standing his ground. "How's that goin'? I saw you chatting up some other chick over by house three."

Caesar seemed caught off guard by Joseph's accusation; he didn't advance on him anymore and let his hands fall to his sides, and for the first time, he was still when he spoke. "What are you _talking_ about? My brother volunteers here, you dense asshole. I know her! Why are you watching everything I do? It's weird! Your jealousy is getting old really fast."

"I'm not jealous of you," Joseph said, a bit too loud. "I just _fucking_ hate you. You're a pain in the ass. I'm sick of you. And I wish you'd never shown up in my town!"

" _Me too!_ " Caesar threw his hands in the air with a harsh laugh. "I never wanted to come here, either! I want to go home! We both wish I wasn't here, so there's something we have in common- incredible!"

"On top of it all, I'm pissed that Suzie has such awful taste in guys," Joseph continued, ignoring everything Caesar had just said. He leaned in close and gave him a push on the shoulder, just enough to annoy him. "You have a shitty personality, a shitty sense of style, a _really_ shitty accent… I bet your entire family is awful, just like you, aren't they?"

For a fraction of a second, Caesar looked hurt. It was surprising, and the look in his eyes was what let Joseph know he'd struck a nerve. In an instant, it was gone, and replaced with flames that Joseph only wanted to fan. He'd always used people's emotions and personalities against them when it came down it, but it usually never got that far.

"Don't talk about people you know nothing about," Caesar spat, shoving Joseph away.

He'd pushed hard enough that Joseph took a step backward, grinning. Good shit. "Ooh, we gonna tussle, Zeppeli?" he asked with a laugh, bouncing back over to him. "You just pissed me off last time. I'm ready for ya, let's rumble."

Caesar swung at him, catching Joseph's shoulder with fire still burning in his eyes. "Is that what you're looking for? Stop talking, then!"

He threw another punch and Joseph dodged it, countering by smacking him upside the head. Immediately after, he threw his own punch, hitting Caesar right in the jaw.

Caesar was shocked for a moment, looking at Joseph with wide eyes, like he couldn't believe he'd actually hit him. He lunged again, but before he could do anything, Joseph had him by the collar of his shirt. The sound of gravel on pavement crunched in the thin night air as Joseph swept his foot under Caesar's legs, throwing off his balance.

Keeping a firm hold on Caesar's shirt, Joseph used the opening and forced him down onto the pavement on his back.

The pained grunt of all the air leaving Caesar's lungs was the most rewarding thing Joseph had heard in a while, and the sound of him trying to catch his breath afterward was a close second. He tried to sit up, and Joseph climbed on top of him, sitting on top of his hips to keep him held down.

"I told you you'd get what was coming to you," he said, gripping his shirt again and feeling the fabric rip. He lifted Caesar and slammed him against the ground a second time, and Caesar's head hit the ground as well. The skin had split and was bleeding slightly on the spot where Joseph had hit him in the jaw. "You just came and got it yourself!"

Joseph let go of his shirt and then hit him again, this time in the mouth, finding himself hoping Caesar tasted his own blood. He hated him so much.

Caesar had his hands up, trying to cover his face, but there was only so much he could do. With another swing, Joseph's fist connected with his nose, and the dark red on pale skin was almost immediate. There were tears in Caesar's eyes, and Joseph wasn't sure if it was because of the body's natural reaction to nose injuries or if he'd actually made him cry. He wasn't even sure if he wanted to know. There was blood on his fist, and Caesar managed to grab it with a hand, finally able to catch his breath enough to say something.

"Stop," he gasped, quieter than he most likely intended to be. His eyes widened in fear when Joseph kept going, slamming him into the ground once more. The look on his face was satisfying as hell for Joseph to see. Caesar was able to speak with a bit more force when he opened his mouth again, and he fought back enough to sit slightly upright. There was blood visible on his teeth when he yelled. " _Stop!_ "

He was begging, but Joseph wasn't listening. He was still pissed, from everything- the annoyances that had built up slowly over the past year, the things that had piled up over the past month, everything Caesar had said and done just a few hours previously. He he hit him twice more with his free hand, once in the chest and once in the ribs.

" _Fucking stop it!_ " Caesar screamed, finally back up to full volume. He struggled to push him away again, and just then, someone else pulled Joseph off, giving Caesar room to scramble to his feet. His breath was a hot cloud in the chilled air, and his nose started bleeding more profusely upon standing, down his face and onto his shirt. He held shaky fingers up to it, still staring Joseph down.

Joseph was breathing hard, and his mind was foggy with rage. He was staring at Caesar right back, too busy watching his movements to even take time to notice who'd pulled them apart. His heart was in his throat, and it was pounding so hard he felt like he could choke on it.

Whoever had pulled him off Caesar was yelling something at him. It was a man's voice, and he snapped around to see who it was. It was no one he recognized. Probably just someone who'd been walking to his car and seen what was happening.

The yelling, however, had attracted other people as well, Smokey and Suzie among them- all of whom had most likely only seen the very end of the fight.

Suzie looked horrified, running up to them and pushing past the man who'd been there first, and it dawned on Joseph what exactly she'd just seen. Caesar hadn't even been fighting back. The fog in his mind started to clear, and he began to panic.

"S-Suzie!" he stammered, trying to come up with the proper words to explain the situation. He didn't have any. "I…"

"Don't talk to me," she hissed.

"He was the one that started it!"

"I said don't!" She looked like she wanted to slap him. Joseph had never seen her so angry and hurt. "You can forget everything I said to you Homecoming night, Joseph."

Joseph winced at her use of his name. "Suz…"

"I shouldn't have given you near as many chances as I have. I can't trust you anymore." Her words were final, and they cut deep. She turned to Caesar, softening considerably. "What happened?"

"I went to my car to get my damn hoodie because I gave my jacket to you and I was cold," Caesar started, with his hand still up to his nose. His attention turned back to Joseph as he spoke."I ran into Joestar right after he finished _letting the air out of my tires,_ and he practically jumped me!" He sounded exasperated and his voice was a bit muffled and raspy. His eyes were still watering at the pain, and he winced as someone started their car and the headlights shined in his direction.

"You _what?_ " Suzie whipped back around toward Joseph. "How do you expect us to get home?"

"I didn't... start it," Joseph protested. His words started off strong, but weakened as he took in Caesar's face, illuminated by the headlights. Shit. He was bleeding a lot more than Joseph had originally realized. There was blood still running from his nose and over his fingers, and from the split skin on his jaw. It was on his shirt and it was on Joseph's knuckles, and he felt a little nauseous. This was supposed to feel good… and it didn't anymore. Suzie huffed and turned away, unable to keep looking at him, and moved to Caesar's side. Joseph turned to Smokey, pleading."Smokey, you'd believe me, right?"

Smokey grimaced, and his eyes looked apologetic, but he wouldn't give Joseph a yes or a no.

"Do I need to call the cops to help settle this?" asked the man who'd broken them up. Joseph was honestly surprised he hadn't already.

"No," Caesar said quickly. Almost too quickly. He obviously didn't want the police anywhere near the situation. "It's settled."

He took his cellphone from his pocket and turned away, walking back toward his car, and Suzie followed him. The man seemed at least somewhat okay with the answer, since it came from the person who appeared to be the victim, but he lingered just a little before actually getting in his car to leave.

"I want to believe you, JoJo," Smokey told him quietly once they were alone, looking at the pavement. "But… you just got done telling me how bad you wanted to hit the guy. And… you know how it looked, right?"

Joseph closed his eyes for a moment. "Yeah, I know how it looked."

He opened his eyes again and watched as Suzie stood with Caesar over by his car, unable to help himself. They were still close enough that he could just barely make out what they were saying, and it only made him feel worse. Suzie was looking closely at Caesar's jaw, and he was dialing a number on his phone. About halfway through waiting for someone to pick up, Suzie took the phone from him.

"Yes," she said when someone answered. "We need a tow."

She rattled off their location and the other info they needed, and then hung up. Caesar looked eternally grateful for her help, but like he could pass out. He was leaned forward slightly, pressing his nose to his shirt sleeve, and Suzie gently lifted his head and took a close look at his eyes. She gave him a tiny kiss on the side of his mouth that wasn't a mess just afterward, standing on her tiptoes.

"Are you okay?" she asked. The guilt kept building in Joseph's chest, but he couldn't stop himself from looking at them.

Caesar was slow to respond, but he nodded at her and she reached up and ran a hand through his hair, removing his bandana. "I just feel kinda sick. My head feels like it could split."

"Did you hit it at all? Do you remember?"

He definitely had. Joseph remembered. He'd probably never forget. Suzie was going to make a great nurse one day- too bad Joseph probably wouldn't be one of the friends around celebrating her accomplishments.

"Smokes. I need to go home and stay there," Joseph told his friend, finally ripping his attention away from Caesar and Suzie.

"I think that'd be for the best, yeah," Smokey whispered. "Did you get it out of your system?"

Joseph paused, taking out his car keys.

"...Sure. Let's go with that."

( **A/N:** I had a lot of fun writing this one. This fic is definitely a slow burn, so expect Caesar and Suzie for a while, but I promise it isn't the end game ship. If you're not invested or patient, this fic might not be for you!

I mentioned 3 songs in this chapter. The title song is Bad Moon Rising by Creedence Clearwater Revival, and Cowboys From Hell by Pantera is mentioned, as well as "Feed my Frankenstein" by Alice Cooper. Thanks for reading!)


	7. Chapter 7

**Bridge Over Troubled Water**

 _When you're weary, feeling small_

 _When tears are in your eyes, I will dry them all_

 _I'm on your side, oh, when times get rough_

 _And friends just can't be found_

 _Like a bridge over troubled water_

 _I will lay me down._

Caesar didn't set foot through the front door of his house until the early hours of the morning. The tow truck, thankfully, had been equipped with the necessary parts to help him reinflate his tires on the spot, so his awful night hadn't gotten any worse. Suzie had helped him clean up a bit so he would stop looking like he was one of the actors wandering the property, and while she'd begged him to call someone else to get them home, he refused- despite knowing somewhere in the back of his mind that he shouldn't be driving.

Nah… He was fine. Completely, one-hundred percent fine.

After he'd dropped Suzie off at home, he spent a good hour and a half sitting in his car by himself a short way down the road from his own house. He didn't want to go in. He didn't want to continue sitting in his car, either. Quite honestly, he didn't want to be anywhere.

Caesar's hands wandered as he thought about everything and nothing, first to a lower spot on the steering wheel, trembling, and then to rest on his knees. He wondered idly whether it was possible to just stop existing for a while, only to come back like nothing had happened at all. Gripping at the denim of his jeans, he leaned his head against the driver's side window and looked at the stars, exhaling a shaky breath.

After a few minutes, he finally got up the courage to check his cell phone. It shook in his hands and the light hurt his eyes. The glaring notification of six missed calls from his mother hurt him a little bit, too. It made his stomach turn with nerves and guilt, everything he didn't need.

How many emotions was it possible to feel simultaneously?

It wasn't even the fact that he needed to sleep or let his mother know he was alive that made him finally decide he needed to buck up and go inside, but the hatred he had for being unclean. He could feel the dirt and dried blood on himself, and it made his skin crawl. It was time to go home.

By the time Caesar was actually home, he knew someone was going to have something to say about the time… but that didn't mean he wouldn't try his damndest to avoid it. If he wasn't so sore and thought he could climb up to it, he would've tried sneaking in through his window, but there was no way he'd be able to. Instead, he opened the front door slowly and tip-toed lightly over the threshold, closing the door behind him as quietly as he could manage. There was a tiny _click_ as it latched, and a voice from behind him made Caesar visibly tense up, his hand still on the doorknob.

"Hey," the voice said, with a tone indicative of fake friendliness.

Caesar stayed put, frozen with his back turned to the voice. His hand finally slipped off the doorknob and he turned around in silent defeat, met with the silhouette of his step-father at the end of the entryway, blocking part of the dim light shining from the kitchen.

"Hey," Caesar said back. His voice cracked slightly and he cleared his throat.

"Your mom's been worried sick, you know," his step-father continued. Caesar averted his gaze and looked toward the stairs. Anything to avoid looking at him head-on. "Why didn't you answer any of her calls? Texts? She only just fell asleep, and that was after I promised I'd wait for you."

He paused, as if he was waiting for his stepson to say something in return, and when Caesar didn't, he looked at him a little harder in the dark. Caesar grimaced, feeling his upper lip twitch. He would've much preferred it if his mother had been the one waiting. The cut on his jaw and the blood smeared and dried under and on his nose felt magnified under his step-father's gaze; there was no way he wasn't seeing the slight bruising around his eyes, or the rip in the front of his shirt. It felt like his eyes were burning holes in Caesar's skin.

"Okay, so I can cross the 'did you have fun' question off the list," the man muttered, moving closer. "I was expecting to lecture you about treating that Suzie girl with respect, honestly. This is different."

The condescending way he spoke was infuriating. _Just say it,_ Caesar thought to himself, feeling anger bubbling in his chest. _Quit skirting around everything. I get it. I know what you thought I was doing._

His stepfather moved around to Caesar's side, the entry nightlight casting sharp shadows on his face. "What happened?"

"What does it look like?" Caesar snapped, finally meeting his eye when he spoke. "I got in a fight. You can assume whatever you want about it. I don't care. I'm fine, and I'm tired. I want to go to sleep."

"What's up with you? You've been doing so much better these past few months, and now you're coming home in the middle of the night like this. Were you planning on telling me why?"

"Probably not," Caesar said flippantly.

"Well, why not?" his step-father asked. He was raising his voice slightly, seemingly more in frustration than in anger. "Don't you believe you can come to us? We're here for you to talk to, but you're not communicating with us. We were starting to trust you again, too."

Caesar's initial reaction was to squint at him. He didn't want to hear any of this; it was all a bunch of garbage. The parental tough love thing was old, and in this case, most likely fake. He stood his ground, shrugging, and it made his shoulders ache. They were definitely bruised.

"Listen, _Ben,"_ he started, feeling fiery and fed up. "First, if I have any personal information to share with anyone, it won't be you. Second- bullshit. Maybe mom wasn't happy with me over some of the choices I made, but she _never_ stopped trusting me. Quit putting words in her mouth. She raised me. She knows me better than you ever will."

"Cae, if this rebellious garbage is gonna start up again-" Ben started, but Caesar cut him off.

"Don't call me that. Goodnight."

Ben was left standing alone in the dark when Caesar ducked past him with his middle finger up. He climbed the stairs with a little bit more effort than usual, finally holing himself up his room. When he was finished with a conversation, the person on the other end always knew it.

He felt disgusting. Being dirty was unbearable. He'd been on the ground in the parking lot of a place that already felt somewhat grungy, and there was dirt and blood on his clothes. There were scrapes on his elbows, and wiping the blood from his face and hands wasn't the same as thoroughly washing it off with soap and water. Visible filth aside, Joestar had been _on top_ of him. His muscles ached, and so did the remarkably empty space in his chest…

He needed something.

A shower, definitely. He wouldn't even sit on his bed until he'd had one, let alone sleep in it. But he needed something else.

He knew exactly what he wanted, but he refused to admit it to himself as he started to tear his room apart. A few months back, he'd tried to get rid of everything, but he knew himself better than that. So there he was, pulling open all his desk drawers and rifling through them at three in the morning, becoming increasingly frustrated with each second that passed. Notes, pencils, _yes-_ no, just a deck of cards. Lighters, lighters, more fucking lighters, all with different colors and patterns, but there were _no fucking…_

Onto the dresser. Then to the closet. His usually tidy floor was becoming increasingly cluttered. Still nothing. Under the bed, and… there they were. He knew he'd left at least one pack somewhere.

Caesar removed himself from his position halfway under his bed and sat up straight, feeling his head rush. He closed his eyes for a moment. Movement hurt. Light hurt. He was dizzy and miserable. When he opened his eyes again, he gazed down at the pack of cigarettes in his hand, almost hesitant to open it, even after all the time he'd spent looking.

He could feel the cigarettes inside move when he lightly shook the pack, so it wasn't full. Actually, it felt almost empty. But there were still _some_. He opened it and stared at what was left. Three. He only needed one this time. No more.

Slowly standing up straight, he turned his bedroom light off and shuffled back over toward his desk, where he opened the blinds on the window behind it and looked down at the back yard. Beyond the deck and the swimming pool, there was nothing, and for the first time, the nothing was pleasing to look at. Flat, grassy land stretched on for miles. A radio tower was the only thing on the horizon in that direction, and he couldn't judge how far away it was.

Caesar reached into one of the desk drawers absentmindedly (it never mattered which), pulling out one of his many lighters and climbing up onto the top of the desk. There were two notebooks in his way, and he pushed them off onto the floor and put one of the three cigarettes between his lips.

Quietly, he raised the blinds fully and opened one side of the window, letting his feet dangle out of it in the cool night air. The window had a screen when they'd moved in and he'd taken it out himself, for all the reasons one might expect. Slipping out at night was easy. One quiet hop down onto the roof of the deck, a short climb down to the grass, and he was able to come and go as he pleased. He'd taken advantage of it a few times since they'd lived there, usually to meet up with friends late at night when he wasn't supposed to. That was back when he was smoking a lot more and occasionally drinking; he hadn't been sneaking out at all as of late. Sometimes he thought about where he was a year ago and felt guilty about it.

Tonight, however, he had no plans to leave. Instead, he lit his cigarette and sat in the window in silent thought until it was gone, blowing smoke into the breeze that was so helpfully carrying most of the scent away from Caesar and his bedroom. It had been months since his last one, and somewhere in the back of his mind, away from all the fog and the splitting headache, he hated Joseph Joestar for driving him to where he sat.

* * *

Joseph didn't even bother dropping Smokey off at his own house. The kid never wanted to be at home anyway, so he had nothing to say against the decision. Joseph figured he probably didn't have much to say about anything at that point, or maybe that he had a lot to say and was storing it all for later. It didn't matter.

"You still have clean clothes at my house, right?" Joseph asked him over the sound of the wind whipping through the driver's side window. The air was cold, chilling his heated skin, and he liked it that way.

Smokey shifted slightly in his seat, letting out a yawn that turned into a shiver. "Yeah. A few days worth, I think."

He was almost always over at Joseph's house. Of course, he had to spend time at home occasionally, but he wasn't a fan of it. He kept a stash of clothes at the Joestar household- it was his second home. Granny Erina had told him he was her son, and to always see their house as his. Smokey was Joseph's little brother, and that's what both of them had been telling everyone since they'd met three years previously.

Once they were back home, Joseph trudged in through the front door and across the living room, down the hall, and into his bedroom, where he fell face first onto his bed. His room was tiny, and it was a mess. He'd recently been attempting to rearrange his comic book collection, and several different series sat in stacks. There were clothes on the floor, and it might not have been a problem if he had more room, but between his bed, bedroom furniture, and the old futon against the wall, floor space was limited.

Smokey tossed his wallet onto the futon like he owned it- and he partially did, since they'd gone halfsies on it at the secondhand store- but he didn't sit down. "Hey. I'mma go raid your fridge before I get too comfortable," he said.

"Good luck finding anything good," Joseph told him, his voice muffled by his pillow. There hadn't been much in the way of money for groceries lately.

"Right. But, uh… hey. JoJo…" There was a pause, and Smokey continued quietly. "I'm here for ya. Always."

He listened as Smokey's footsteps got further away, and when he was gone, Joseph heaved a sigh and felt all the weight on his shoulders settle deep into his chest. He wanted to scream. Smokey was trying to avoid talking in detail about anything that happened, and it was unbearable. Joseph didn't want to talk about it, but he also _did_. He wanted to leave it be, but he also wanted to rant about it until his throat was dry and there was nothing left to say. A dull ache formed behind his eyes when he sighed, and it felt like tears. Fuck that.

The alarm clock on the nightstand next to his bed reminded him that it was officially November first, and he stared at it, blinking slowly. This October had been one of the worst months of his life, and it was over. His throat felt tight, and despite the promise of a new month, Joseph still felt uneasy.

He didn't move again that night except to stumble to the bathroom and throw up.

* * *

Joseph didn't have to deal with Caesar Zeppeli for a month and a half.

The start of Christmas break found Joseph thinking about his Caesar-less existence as he pulled himself out of bed. How blissful it had been... if it hadn't meant that it had been ultimately Suzie-less as well.

He missed her. He missed her every day as he drove home from school, he missed her while he was sitting in class, and he missed her as he walked into the living room and climbed backwards onto the couch and stared out the window behind it at the fresh blanket of snow. Two months ago, he would've texted her about it, telling her to go look outside. He sighed, fogging up the cold window in a little round spot in front of his face, deeply regretting the note they'd left on. She used to make his life a little brighter every day, and just like that, things had dimmed.

It wasn't a day for moping, though. Joseph had been realizing lately that Granny Erina hadn't been feeling her best, and he was determined to make her feel better. Usually, at this time of year, she had the Christmas tree up and decorated, the house smelled like cinnamon and baking and she had smiles to offer whenever Joseph spoke to her. This year, however, Christmas was in a little over a week and she hadn't done a thing. She'd been out and about less that usual, and she hadn't seemed all that talkative. Joseph was concerned about her well being- it was Christmastime, and she was stuck feeling sad.

Joseph hadn't really ever experienced a lack of Christmas spirit. It was his favorite time of year, and most people were in a better mood than usual- except for the shoppers. Christmas shoppers were a whole new breed of grumpy and terrible. But it wasn't like Granny to be having such a hard time.

Maybe it was a particularly bad case of seasonal depression. He'd learned about that in Psychology class a while back, and it was a possibility. He'd decided the night before that he was going to use today to decorate for her, and maybe try and bake the cinnamon rolls she made every year. He'd mentioned it to Smokey, who'd been on the futon again across the room in the dark, but he wasn't sure if he'd heard. Well, he'd find out soon enough.

Determined to get things done, Joseph stood up off the couch and then spent a fair amount of time digging through the kitchen for the right recipe book. Once Smokey had woken up, the two of them worked together to get all the Christmas decorations out of storage- no skimping- they'd put everything out just the way Granny Erina liked it. Maybe that would cheer her up. If it didn't help, Joseph wasn't sure what would. Something would. He'd think of something.

Two hours later, with Smokey there at his side, Joseph had a massive kitchen mess on his hands, flour on his shirt, and a living room that looked like the Christmas decoration storage bins had just recently exploded. They were nowhere near close to being finished with decorations, and the cinnamon rolls had only just cooled off enough to be iced. They didn't look anything like Granny's usually did. They were misshapen and the icing was a little too thick, but Joseph had informed Erina when she'd seen them that they'd been made with love. An extra few tablespoons of it, even.

She was quiet that morning as Joseph and Smokey worked, watching them from her chair without very much to say. Of course, there was only so much quiet Joseph could take while he was working, so he'd replaced the silence with a Stray Cats record, Smokey's choice. It played on the record player that had once belonged to Joseph's grandfather, a beautiful piece of his life that sat in the corner of the room. Most of the records in the old trunk on the floor in front of it had also belonged to his grandfather, but a few of them had been collected by Joseph himself, and he only intended to keep the collection growing.

Music, however, was a dangerous thing, and he found himself getting distracted instead of actually working, singing along to the songs and even dancing a little. There were too many boxes in the living room to dance around properly, though, so he found himself pushing them as far out of the way as he could, making a little space in the center of the floor to move around in.

"Granny!" he said after he'd fixed the star on the top of the tree. He beamed at his grandmother as she sat in her chair, and she was smiling back at him, but it seemed a little sad, and Joseph wasn't having it. He hopped off the step stool he'd been using and danced over to her as the Stray Cats started in on "Rock This Town," and grabbed both of her hands, pulling her up onto her feet. "Come dance with me!"

She was a bit reluctant at first, but her smile grew wider as Joseph twirled her back into the center of the living room. He loved this song- it was upbeat and fun, perfect for dancing along to, and if Granny Erina was smiling, he was gonna keep doing what he was doing. He'd do it for as long as it took.

"I think I remember some of that fancy footwork you taught me when I was younger," he said, looking down at his feet and trying to step in time with the music. Granny used to know how to swing dance, and it was impressive, but she was a little too stiff for it in her old age. "It's like this, right?"

Erina started to laugh, looking at Joseph's feet right along with him. "Not quite," she told him honestly, stopping him and correcting his steps.

"Looks like she's still got it," Smokey called out from the kitchen entryway. He had a cinnamon roll on a small plate, and shoved a big bite into his mouth before he went on, talking with his mouth full. "Not that I ever doubted you, Mrs. Joestar!"

Joseph laughed with her the whole way through the song, and when it was coming to an end, he tried his best to spin her a little, but he didn't quite get it right. Being the wonderful woman she was, however, Erina made it look like he had, and then leaned into him with a bright smile.

"Ooh, I'm a little dizzy now," she said, fixing her long hair, which had come a bit loose in the front from it's bun. Joseph gave her a pat on the back and then let go of her to go turn down the music once she was steady on her feet again.

When Joseph turned back around, Granny Erina had tears in her eyes. She hadn't quite stopped laughing, but the tears were there, and Joseph wasn't sure what to make of it. Was she laughing or crying? Both, maybe? He moved quickly back over to her, putting an arm around her shoulder and holding her close.

He pointed a finger at her face and then moved it closer, poking her cheek. Probably not polite, but Joseph had never really been known for his manners. When he spoke, he sounded almost offended.

"Hey, what's this? This is what I was tryin' to stop from happening, and there you go, doin' it anyway. You were s'posed to keep smiling!" As much as his tone may have come across as a joking one, he was genuinely a bit upset, and it started to show more the longer he talked. "Granny… you've been so sad lately. I wasn't sure why or what I could do, but I wanted to make you feel better. Smokey did, too."

Smokey set his cinnamon roll down and nodded, and Erina laughed, covering most of her face with a hand, as if she was embarrassed. "No, no, I'm fine, JoJo. I promise." She paused for a few seconds before turning to him, placing a hand on his cheek and looking him in the eyes. "The things you do… you remind me so much of your grandfather. I miss him every day. Even more so around this time of year. You might not remember him much, but I see him every time I look at you."

"Granny-"

"I said I'm fine," Erina reassured him, taking her hands off his cheeks and squeezing one of his hands. She still had tears in her eyes, though, and Joseph was skeptical. "More than fine, JoJo. No matter the mistakes you've made, you've grown up to be just who you should. Jonathan would've been proud of you. Your dad, too. I love you, dear. And Smokey… that's just the same for you."

Joseph was stunned by her words for a short while, unable to form the words to say anything. "I love you too," he finally said, pulling her into a hug and holding her there in front of the half-decorated tree. Even without all the decorations up… it was starting to feel more like Christmas.

Granny Erina was the most important person in Joseph's life. He was entirely unsure of what he would do without her. Her opinion of him meant more than anyone else's. As of late… he hadn't exactly felt like he'd been a very good person. He opened his mouth to say something else to her, but just as he took a deep breath, there was a knock on the door.

Erina hurried to take her glasses off and wipe her eyes, and then walked to the door to open it, sniffling slightly.

Beyond the door, on the front steps, stood Suzie Q, with a wrapped up present and a tupperware container, looking nervous.

Joseph immediately dove out of sight, behind the half-naked Christmas tree, staring down at the flour on his shirt and the plaid pajama pants that were almost big enough to cover his feet entirely. Well, shit. Suzie didn't talk to him for almost two months, and then there she was, in the doorway with gifts.

"Oh," she said, hugging the gifts closer to her chest and looking concerned at the lingering moisture in Erina's eyes. She stamped her feet, knocking some of the caked snow off her boots as Joseph started to slowly back away into the hallway without being seen. "Is it a bad time? I can come back later, if it's a bad time."

"It's not a bad time at all," Erina reassured, stepping to the side to let Suzie in. "Hello, dear."

Suzie took small steps into the living room and then took a look around, taking in the half-decorated state of the house, and just as she was about to turn to walk into the kitchen, she caught sight of Joseph peeking out of the hallway.

He nearly ducked behind the wall, but he stopped himself. What was the point in hiding from her? He couldn't even tell if she was still upset with him.

Her gaze lingered on him for a moment, and then she turned away, cold.

Yeah, she was still mad.

"I just came to drop some things off for you, Mrs. Joestar," Suzie said sweetly, walking into the kitchen. She kept talking as she looked for an empty spot on the table to set her gifts and treats, but it was soon obvious that she wouldn't be able to find one. The table was covered in pans and bowls and flour and storage bins, stacked two high in some places. It was a mess, and the fact that their house was so small to begin with certainly made it look worse. "My mom and I made some cookies, so I brought some of those over for you, and there's a present here for you too- um… where should I put… hm. I'll just… set these down over here." She gave up and came back into the living room, setting her gifts on the side table next to the couch. She stood up straight and turned back to face Granny Erina, smoothing down her skirt with a smile and pushing up the sleeves of her oversized sweater.

"Oh, you didn't have to do that, honey," Erina told her, smiling again for the first time since talking with Joseph.

"Well, dang," Suzie said, grinning back. "You shoulda told me sooner and I wouldn't have taken all that time to box 'em up! ...I'm just kidding, Mrs. Joestar. I wanted to."

Joseph was feeling smaller and smaller by the second. She was flat out ignoring the fact that he was there, like he didn't even exist. More than anything, he hated being ignored. He knew he needed to talk to her, but he was frozen where he stood, unsure of what he would even say. He didn't move until he heard her say she should probably be going, and then he moved so quickly that he almost knocked one of the framed pictures off the wall and made a good deal of noise while trying to keep it from falling.

"Suzie, wait," he called out, backing carefully away from the picture wall. He brushed at his shirt, hoping some of the flour would come off, and Granny frowned at him as the powder shook to the carpet. When he looked back over at Suzie, she'd turned to leave- she wasn't waiting for him, and it stung.

"I hope you have a nice Christmas, Mrs. Joestar, Smokey," she said, turning the door handle to let herself out.

Yikes.

She was out the door before Joseph could cross the living room, but he followed her anyway, throwing on a pair of boots and his favorite red coat and dashing out the door after her. He stumbled after leaving the porch, caught off guard by the sudden resistance of the fresh snow. He hadn't realized it was that deep.

"Wait," he called out again, limping a little as he got a clump of snow in his boot.

Suzie stopped and turned around, looking exasperated- but she was looking at him. She shrugged and then dropped her arms back to her sides. "What, JoJo?"

"I…" Joseph had to bite his tongue, stopping a few feet from Suzie and looking a bit like a dog who'd just been scorned. _What, JoJo._ "I just want to talk to you. And I mean _really talk._ I know you're not happy with me, but… First things first. Will you let me talk to you?"

"You're asking my permission to say what you want to say?" Suzie asked, pulling down the sleeves of her sweater. Joseph hadn't noticed the pattern before, but it had foxes all over it. It was an interesting pattern for a sweater.

"Yeah." Joseph considered saying more, explaining himself even, but he left it at that, waiting for the go ahead.

It was quiet between them for several seconds, and a gust of wind made Joseph wish they were still inside.

"Go ahead," Suzie finally said. Her voice broke, and it sounded like she was trying not to cry.

Joseph felt her tugging at his heart from a good four feet away, and he shuffled his feet in the snow, sniffling in the cold. They needed to move around; even with sweater knit tights, Suzie looked cold. "Okay… but can we walk?"

Saying nothing, Suzie started down the driveway and then onto the sidewalk, and Joseph walked slightly behind her. He wasn't even sure where to begin with everything he needed to say, and that was the worst part. He hadn't even planned out the conversation the way he usually would, so there was nothing but more silence for several houses, until they reached the bend in the road.

"I'm sorry," he finally blurted, a bit sudden and a little too loud. How else was he supposed to start this conversation?

"You're apologizing to the wrong person," Suzie said without missing a beat. She knew he was going to say he was sorry, and she was ready to counter it.

"No, I'm not," Joseph argued, looking down at his snowy boots. His pajama pants were going to be soaked around the bottoms. "I'm apologizing to you because I broke your trust, more than once, and it was shitty. I was a bad friend. But… yeah, I know. You're not the only one I need to talk to."

More silence. It was terrible. The fresh snow made everything even quieter, and all he could hear was the crunching beneath their feet. Suzie never said anything, so he kept going.

"I swear I'm not trying to say anything bad against Caesar here, okay? I promise. I just want… you know why we fought, right? You know why I was mad?"

"I don't _care_ why you were mad, Jojo. You went overboard." Suzie was biting her cheek, and Joseph knew she was having a hard time staying calm. "He left that night with a concussion, you know. You didn't even leave with a scratch on you."

"I know. I... okay, I didn't know that, but now I know. I…" Well, shit. "The reason it all started was just because it had been building up after so many-"

Suzie cut Joseph off, whipping around to glare at him. "I know. He told me. He told me about all the things he's said to you, about Homecoming and how he'd originally only shown up to piss you off, how he taunted you until he had a reason to hit you, about being an ass and sticking candy on your car on Halloween… I know about all of it!" She took a few breaths to calm down, and then softened her expression as she continued. "I know you think he's awful, I'm well aware of that. But if you'd stop for just two seconds and try and see past your misconceptions…"

"He told you about all that? I mean… like, he actually admitted to those things?" Joseph asked, slightly lost. His hair blew into his eyes with another gust of wind, and he didn't bother to fix it.

"Yes," Suzie answered, quiet. "The day after everything happened, I went to see him, and he told me he deserved what he got. He wasn't looking for sympathy. He was fine. He just wanted me to know that he'd gotten something that was coming to him, and that it wasn't necessarily out of the blue like he'd tried to say it was. Haha… honestly? I was mad at you both. I was frustrated when he told me all those things… both of you had been acting like children. But the difference is, he admitted to his mistakes and was mature about it. I've been mad at you for almost 2 months. You're only just now doing what he did. Sort of."

"But… Suz, you didn't really give me any chances to tell you my side." Joseph said, feeling his shoulders droop. "This is the first time we've talked."

Suzie took a deep breath, and Joseph thought he could see her eyes watering. "I know it is… I guess it's not really fair of me to say things like that. But, JoJo… please understand, I didn't even want to look at you. I might have been upset with Caesar too, but the thought of even seeing your face made me want to cry because I would get _so_ mad."

Joseph had no idea what else to say. It hurt, but he understood, and more importantly, if Suzie was upset with Caesar back then, he certainly couldn't have sugar coated anything he told her. Why would he tell her all of those things?

"That's not what I was expecting to hear, I'll say that much," he muttered, pulling his jacket tighter. "You and I aside, it took me and Caesar both to get to that point on Halloween. I can't say I'm innocent. I want to tell him I'm sorry. I mean… Sorry, Suz, but we… I don't think we'll ever get along. But he deserves an apology, at least."

"Face to face," Suzie added.

Joseph nodded, but the idea of it wasn't pleasant. "Right."

"Come to my house for New Year's," Suzie said quickly, like she wanted to get the words out before she could think better of it. "It was just gonna be me and Caesar, because I didn't want to do anything big this time, but if you come over, at least for a little while, the two of you can talk. For real this time."

The idea of spending New Year's Eve at Suzie's house as a third wheel to her and Caesar didn't sound appealing at all, but Joseph would do what he had to do. He'd be able to drop by and then leave after they'd talked, so it wouldn't be uncomfortable for too long anyway. It was doable, and he was ready to do any number of things to be able to sleep soundly at night again.

Suzie paused before speaking again, looking seriously at Joseph as she went on. "I'm hoping the two of you will be able to have a serious conversation and handle things on your own like adults, but if not, I'll be there. I'll sit in between the both of you if I have to. I don't want to, but…"

"Don't worry," Joseph assured her, running a hand through his hair. "I'll be there, and it'll be different this time. Really."

Suzie nodded at him, finally letting herself smile just the tiniest amount, and then stuck her nose up in the air in one swift, exaggerated motion, huffing as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Alright, JoJo," she said, peeking at him with one eye. "I've heard your apology. We'll wait until New Year's to see if I can actually accept it."

"You've got a deal," Joseph laughed. "So, I've been dying to ask you… how are you? How have you been?"

"Are you sure that isn't just really forced small talk?"

"I'm sure." Joseph shoved his hands in his coat pockets and nodded in the direction of his house. "We should head back that way. But, yeah! I've… missed talking to you."

"Things have been pretty normal for me, JoJo. Nothing changes that much around here and you know it," Suzie said, looking at him skeptically. "If I had to guess, I'd say your room is a mess and you work every few days up at the mall like you do every Christmas break."

Well, she wasn't wrong. His room didn't have much of a visible floor anymore and he spent half his time dressed as an elf, directing children to Santa while their parents stood around drinking Starbucks coffee and wondering how much more Christmas shopping there was left to do. The costume was silly and he was too big to be a believable elf, but the extra cash was hard to pass up.

"You got me." Joseph wished desperately that it was easier to talk to Suzie today, but he knew it wouldn't be the same until they'd really and truly worked everything out.

They hadn't walked very far, and soon they were back in his driveway, standing a bit closer together than before. Even with things still being a bit rough, Joseph felt better. He felt like he could breathe again.

"Well… I have to go. I wasn't really expecting to stay longer than five minutes. It was… nice seeing you, JoJo." Suzie said, lingering awkwardly next to his grandfather's old pickup truck. They'd usually hug before she left, but things were different. When she finally turned away to get into her own car, he felt a little bit empty. "I'll see you again on New Year's, okay?"

Joseph nodded, but she didn't see it.

"Oh, and..." she started as she opened the car door and got inside, smiling. "Buy yourself a pair of pajama pants that fits next time. You look silly."

There she was. That was the Suzie Q Joseph was used to, and as he watched her drive away, he couldn't help but smile.

* * *

(A/N: Thanks so much for your patience on my mini hiatus! I'm back and ready to update more frequently again! The songs used in this chapter are Bridge Over Troubled Water by Simon and Garfunkel and Rock This Town by Stray Cats! See you next time!)


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